Tim’s Thoughts December 2022
Tragedy
Like most of you, I was awakened on November 14th to my phone alerting me of the terrible tragedy that had occurred at the University of Virginia. I was shocked and in disbelief of what I was reading. All sorts of questions were coming to mind with no answers to be found. I made my way through the day and felt fortunate to be attending the Virginia Association of Counties conference with elected officials and many of our colleagues. We were able to have conversations about what had occurred and what role did we, as leaders, have in helping to deal with the tragedy at hand.
Certainly, local government plays a crucial role in these types of tragedies. I cannot help but think about the public safety personnel that responded to the scene that night. Some were there to help and assist the victims, others to ensure protection for everyone involved. Those public servants are to be commended. Long term however, citizens have a right to feel safe in their communities. This requires steadfast leadership and the willingness to tackle hard social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and mental illness. The public view that community safety is the sole responsibility of law enforcement is changing and people now recognize that governments, communities, and partnerships at all levels must be actively engaged to create change for the common good. Local municipal leaders play a crucial role in protecting communities by organizing and motivating coalitions of local partners. We can use this unique position to bring partners together with inclusive discussions that tackle the social and economic conditions that create barriers to community safety.
With any tragedy there are lessons to be learned and an increased opportunity to raise the difficult issues that need to be addressed. The senseless deaths of these young UVA students shocked the nation, but, as tragedies often do, it has also brought people together to support one another and find common ground in purpose. As leaders in Virginia, lets continue to work intentionally to bring the community together and to have hard discussions that make a difference for the future.
Thank you for doing the hard work for the citizens of this great Commonwealth.
I would like to welcome new members:
Bonnie Jewell, Assistant County Administrator, County of Rappahannock
Jonet Prevost-White, Deputy Town Manager, Town of Dumfries