I read your recent article about the coordinated police effort on pot, and the fact that there were strong opinions about the value of the effort. As a student of governance, this is a perfect case study worthy of additional review.
Those charged with carrying out the requirements of federal, state and local elected officials, either through enacted statutes, regulations, rules, or plain old political pressure, are faced with a daunting task. There is always more to do than time or resources permit, nor does everything make sense.
The officials at every agency, at every level of government must balance the frequently competing views of their authorizing environment, with the need and temptation to do what they personally think is right. After all, our officials at all levels are presumably in their positions because of their competence to carry out agency functions. We also look to these same officials to be good at checking on which way the wind is blowing when directing and carrying out their activities.
Our society operates with various checks and balances to ensure (sometimes over painfully long periods of time) that aberrance is corrected. There is nothing more boring than the annual budget process which plods along year after year. While it rarely makes the news, the annual operating budget is the check and balance for adjusting the course of events.
Our elected officials, usually motivated by the reaction of voters, will adjust the budgets of agencies and departments not watching the winds. The article is not clear as to whether the Milton police chief (and other agencies supporting the effort) was acting on his own or was motivated by the elected officials in Milton and the other towns participating, Sussex County, or Delaware.
Surely worthy of review by all of our elected representatives.
Robert A. Streimer
Rehoboth Beach
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