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David Oeltjen, Clifton Forge Town Councilman

Clifton Forge 'Council Corner'
By David Oeltjen
 
Clifton Forge, VA (August 22, 2017) - In March of this year I had the privilege of attending the Virginia Municipal League Institute for Local Officials meeting in Richmond. This valuable program is designed to provide training and guidance to newly elected officials. Some of the topics of discussion I have outlined below..

Understanding liability that public officials are subject to. That is, personal integrity. Avoid situations where the public trust is put in jeopardy due to actions that are contrary to laws and regulations designed to protect the welfare of the public. All matters that relate to the community which are regulated by laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia must be first consistent with those laws and cannot be separated from laws of the Commonwealth. Matters of local interest that require use of public funds and property come under the jurisdiction of the Town Council. Any changes, additions or removal of property belonging to the town will be debated and voted on in a public forum.

Publicly elected officials are held to high standards, therefore, any action by a publicly elected official which representing the public in a matter that is in the community’s interest and is intended to benefit society must not have a personal interest in the outcome. That is not to say the official cannot benefit from any matter that benefits the community, rather the outcome should not be for the specific purpose of benefitting that official.

The importance of a Comprehensive Plan. The plan will be based on the vision of the citizens of the area represented. The plan should establish an overall future vision and educate the public in order to promote their involvement. The plan must be established wisely in considering the future use of land and resources. A sound plan will benefit the community by promoting employment opportunities, protect the environment, preserve established areas, and be cost effective.

Freedom of information act; The act allows all public meetings to be open and documented thus allowing the public interest to be preserved for posterity. Official meetings must allow for members of the community to present opinion and evidence regarding issues being debated prior to enactment of new or amended laws and acts pertaining to the public’s interest.

As you may gather from the topics presented in the meeting forum, there are a great number of reasons to be well versed on public forums. The work of public officials has a far reaching effect into the future of a community. This brings me to the greatest thing that I took away from the meeting, which is a refreshing look into the future of the entire state. Among the newly elected officials were some new Council members who are in their twenties. One new council member is a college student who is currently pursuing a degree and another person who is new associate in a High Tec job in his community.

The uplifting notion for me was to find that younger people have the desire to make their communities better by becoming part of the community leadership. As an elected official, you can receive the training needed in order to represent your community properly; but to insure the future is what you want it to be, you must first get involved. Involvement does not merely mean complaining about what you don’t like or protesting what ever does not line up with your values or beliefs. Involvement means taking a proactive step in planning and shaping the future of your community.
 
 
 

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