David Moore
ASA-Public Affairs
FORT DIX, N.J. - In some countries news video of foreign military forces entering a government building signify a coup, but civil affairs Soldiers from the Army Support Activity-Dix traveled to Bensalem Township, Pa., to learn about local government firsthand in preparing for their deployment to Iraq.
Most young troops may have never attended a local government meeting, but civil affairs Soldiers of the 358th Brigade got a crash course March 8 on how to govern and sustain a community.
About 40 brigade civil affairs specialists from the Riverside, Calif., based organization in the past two weeks attended the local town hall meeting to learn about the mechanisms and various municipal departments that make an effective government work.
The training for these Soldiers is critical for them to be successful at their overseas mission. Once these specialists complete their mobilization training at Army Support Activity-Dix, they will deploy to 14 provinces in Iraq and serve as members of Provincial Reconstruction Teams and interface with the country's local leaders.
"Basically, there are two distinct objectives the Soldiers are learning here. The first one is they need to understand how local government works with its public services and how the community generates its revenue. The second is that these Soldiers have to brief back to their commander the answers to the questions they asked the council and what they learned about the community the following morning," Lt. Col. Daniel F. McLaughlin, a civil affairs liaison mission rehearsal exercise training officer for the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade, said.
While some mid-to-senior level Soldiers, particularly in the Reserve Component forces have attended government meetings at various levels or even serve in government, young Soldiers have never stepped into a town hall, McLaughlin, who has served on his township zoning board said.
The local governing body is a council form of government that has a full-time mayor and five part-time council members. The municipal leaders reported that the ninth largest community in Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, has a population of 60,000. But during the day, the number skyrockets to 300,000 who work or have businesses in the community. It is also a growing Pennsylvania community in the area of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Staff Sgt. Dionisio Alcala, before the regularly scheduled meeting, asked council leaders questions relating to the township's basic demographics where the council answered his question about the community being a an East Coast corridor that contains such highways as Route 95, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 1, and Route 63. The community also borders with the Delaware River. As a result, the governing body is challenged with preserving the community's vitality, as well as its safety and welfare, municipal leaders reported.
"I think this training is really good for first-time deployers. Anyone attending this gets some really good ideas for how to develop a community's infrastructure. The important part of this experience is that you are putting people training in the fire in a friendly way to understand the government workings and not learning in a hostile environment," Alcala said.
Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo asked the Soldiers what they thought was largest expenditure for the township's annual budget. Many of the Soldiers answered back emergency services, yet some said schools.
"The school budget is separate. Security is the number one part of our infrastructure cost for the municipality and therefore it has the highest price tag," DiGirolamo said.
Leaders added they also focus on a five year budgeting plan for the community in an effort to sustain the tax base. An issue that became apparent through the meeting was the Soldiers questions appeared to focus on the future, growth and sustainment of the community.
Township Council Member Edward Kisselback, who is a member of the Bucks County Planning Commission, explained that along the Delaware River historically was a location for an industrial base that it was known for its production of steel for building tanks and other equipment for two world wars.
"We are always looking hard at redevelopment. An example of redevelopment is we are looking to redevelop our waterfront. We want to make sure what type of business we bring into that area is in the best interest for the residents of the community," Kisselback said.
Municipal leaders also pointed to different ways communities can attract business. For example, Philadelphia offers a tax-free zone, while in this township the leaders offer businesses an enterprise zone which affords the business leader to operate at a lower tax rate for a determined period of time.
What community leaders said they felt that what a successful community was first to earn the residents trust, while at the same time providing them with the necessary security to be successful. And, businesses are key to the success of the community.
DiGirolamo said before the meeting the hardest part of any government, even one such as Iraq, was to be a government in transition.
"I don't care what the cultures are. You need a strong community infrastructure, and it all begins with trust. Small businesses need to offer the things that the people need and they will buy them. Having the ability to buy things and survive is a dream to me and everyone," he said. "If you own a restaurant and your next door neighbor is a customer, you are not going to give them bad service or food. If you do, then you will forever lose them as a friend and a customer."
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2010 08:40 |
| Story ID: | 46844 |
| Location: | FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 62 |
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