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It’s standard procedure. When we need to find a new County Manager or Superintendent of Schools or other top-ranking staff member, a consulting firm (usually also non-local) is paid to winnow the field of applicants from across the country. Then the appropriate local body makes their choice and awaits the arrival of the new person, someone who has likely received training for employment administering homogeneous systems used everywhere in this huge, diverse country.

Granted, there are so many rules, legalities, and standard operating procedures in government that the priority may necessarily be to find someone who has proven adept at dealing with the bureaucratic labyrinth and standard policies.

By accepting this priority we are effectively saying that local knowledge of the history, people, policies, environment, and politics of our town, county, or school district is secondary to knowledge of how to govern according to the state or nationally prescribed norms and requirements.

Yesterday I attended an informational meeting about the proposed Tanyard Branch greenway and bridge that the Town of Chapel Hill is planning to build from the end of McMasters Street (near Northside Elementary) to the other side of Bolin Creek, ending at Jay Street, which is a dirt road that connects to Village Drive. (Tanyard Branch is the name of the stream that comes in from Carrboro and feeds into Bolin Creek at Umstead Park.)

This is a project that I personally stand to benefit from greatly. My comment from a year ago on being districted in the Northside Elementary walkzone explains that this will change our daily walk to school from 1.2 miles up a steep hill to .5 miles through the woods. This small greenway will also eventually connect to Phase III of Chapel Hill Bolin Creek Greenway, which will bring the path from MLK to Umstead Park. UNC is also creating a "Campus-to-Campus Connector" from Carolina North which will run paralell to the railroad tracks and just feet from Village Drive. This Tanyard Branch connection will someday make it much easier for people to get to central Chapel Hill from downtown, which is great.