Thinking Outside the Box

NYS DEC ALGAL BLOOM ACTION PLAN

I was intrigued recently to hear County officials talking about another community in New York state which might be a model for addressing the issues surrounding Chautauqua Lake. This is the Lamoka-Waneta Lake area in the southern Finger Lakes. 

Around fifteen years ago, an old friend, John Sember (now deceased,) invited representatives from this area to the Jackson Center for what he called a “Pearl City Lyceum.” John thought that they might have insight into dealing with lake weeds which had been choking their lakes. Now, over a decade later, they have proven to have “staying power,” have in place a DEC approved program, and have established a working Association which is supported by property owners for applying herbicides and taking other actions to keep their lakes clean while protecting fishing and other lake interests.

One of the problems in Chautauqua County is that we tend to think “the wheel was invented here.”

One of the problems in dealing with local issues in Chautauqua County is that we tend to think that “the wheel was invented here,” that just because we have been doing things one way…that is the only way that they can be done, i.e. our lakes have only been managed one way, our schools have always been structured in a certain way, our municipalities have always been here doing what they do, the one way they always do it. Result: we get frozen in time and nothing changes.

In a totally different and larger context, I was speaking with someone recently about how our American governmental system compares with other democratic governments. As patriotic Americans we always think our system is the best system.

Yet, in the aftermath of World War II, Americans looked “outside-the-box” when we helped frame what the governments would be for our defeated enemies–Germany and Japan. In so doing, we looked at various models and didn’t exactly replicate what our own form of government was. In both instances, we helped establish parliamentary forms of government where the leader or Chief Executive would come from the legislative branch of government.

These two nations have, as we do, an independent judiciary, but their executive branch leader, the Prime Minister, comes from roots in their legislative system. I would expect that this approach was taken, in part, because of an American concern in avoiding a system where another Hitler or Hirohito could come out of nowhere and take these countries over.

By having the Prime Minister come out of the government it means that she/he has at least been vetted by peers as having the qualities and capabilities for responsible leadership. You can’t just come out of nowhere with a lot of money and become the Chief Executive of Germany or Japan.

Though the U.S. model of the independent election of a President was not used in rebuilding Germany or Japan–you can’t argue with success. They have become our two strongest democratic allies in Asia and Europe. Sometimes using a model other than “same-old, same-old” can be good.

There are many communities out there who have very similar problems to our own, we should learn from how others have dealt with these issues.

So, when we are looking on ways to make our county or community better, I am all for looking “outside-the-box,” for other models. There are probably communities out there who have similar problems to our own. Whether it is our lake, our school districts or our municipalities–we should be taking a look at how others have dealt with the issues we are now facing.

Rolland Kidder

This commentary appeared in The Post-Journal on March 24