Systems thinking and thorough accountability are concepts still difficult to grasp in Chesterfield County, at least in some quarters.

Case in point: the decision by the School Board chairman to boycott further meetings of the Board of Supervisors/School Board Liaison Committee. This, over what ostensibly is a personality conflict. Board of Supervisor representatives to the committee asked hard questions the School Board apparently did not want to answer so their response is just not to meet. The rationale favors more joint meetings of the complete boards—an unrealistic expectation—and that the liaison committee duplicates efforts of the budget and audit committee.

First, since the liaison committee is a county charter committee, it is not the School Board chairman’s prerogative to suspend a meeting. Second, not only is there no duplication between the committees, they potentially complement each other. Further, the Budget and Audit Committee’s responsibility is narrow in scope, while the Liaison Committee’s scope is broad. The more open discussion and information sharing within the liaison committee, the better informed supervisors, including the budget and audit committee members will be. The more opportunities there are to communicate, the better systems thinking will be and thus the better served Chesterfield’s overall health and prosperity will be.

Leaders don’t decide not to work with someone just because they don’t like them! Our school board and school administration may be some of the last vestiges of the “good ‘ol boy” atmosphere that dominated our county for decades. Taking their toys and refusing to play with those they dislike will have shorter and shorter shelf life as citizens become more informed and realize no one’s best interest is served by such lack of true leadership.

Mike Harton
Midlothian