A Traffic Circle in France

By Charles Houston

Years ago, I was driving a rental car near Nice, when I came upon something I’d never seen: A floral traffic circle. Not a plain, generic traffic circle, but an over-the-top extravagance filled with thousands of flowers all abloom. It made me smile. Later it made me think, and I came up with a truth: A government will do anything and every thing if it can impose taxes to pay for it—or if it can borrow the money.

That’s not a good thing, and I mused over the proper scope of government. 

Back in Georgia

Counties in my home state are governed by County Commissions composed of County Commissioners. That’s the same-same as Virginia’s Supervisors. These bodies were first created in the 1890’s and were called Commissions of Roads and Revenues.

By World War II the name had changed to County Commission. I, though, like to go back to “Roads and Revenues” and think about the necessary core functions for a local government. Here are some: Public order (courts, policing, jails,) land records, managing land use via zoning, some aspects of public health, roads and bridges, probate, elections, taxation.

Outside the Box

You might think that I’m delusional, but consider government activities that might be privatized and you come up with a lengthy list: Parks, water and sewer, libraries, the dog pound, and to an extent, schools. Even some of government’s core functions could be managed by others— maintaining land records is an example.

Perhaps you assert that the government can do all such things itself, at a cheaper and more efficient manner than the private sector. Anybody who’ve had any contact with government at any level knows that’s not reality. Most governments, at any level, epitomize inefficiency. 

On the other hand, most governments have good intentions and mean well. Nevertheless, the study of organizational theory (a Master’s-Level course) concludes that an organization’s prime directives become permanence, power and growth. A very readable and short primer about this is “Up the Organization,” by former Avis CEO Robert Townsend. 

Metrics

One primary measure that may indicate government bloat: County spending per capita. With this data, I compared Loudoun to two suburban counties (Fairfax and Prince William) and to three rural counties (Clarke, Fauquier, and Frederick.) 

A disclaimer: I used Google to get all the numbers and I won’t vouch for complete accuracy. I also lack the meticulous detail of accountants. Be that as it may, here’s what I see.

County Spending

The three rural counties spend an average of $4,500 per capita. Fairfax and PW, the other suburban counties, spend an average of $9,100 per capita. This rural vs suburban comparison is meaningful, but I’ll leave that for another day.

But what of Loudoun? Our county spends $15,700 per capita, 70% more than the comparable suburban counties. Alarm bells ring. People gasp. Why such profligacy?  

In very general terms, I posit that Loudoun government simply does too many things. We are burdened by a government that provides many luxuries. Perhaps “nonessentials” is a less-fraught term.

A Luxury Non-essential in the Making

The County is now exploring the idea of it’s creating an Arts Center. It would house visual art, which I love, and performing arts, which I loathe. I should explain that last comment.

My mother was deeply involved with theater and opera. When a play’s cast included a youngster, I was usually tapped for the role. That was a kick, but it did not inculcate me with a love of theater. Quite the opposite, actually. Actors in a live performance must project their voices to reach the back of the house and overly emote. I didn’t—and don’t—like this at all; it just feels fake.

Opera seems to be a play with a soundtrack, and with even more vocal projection and excessive emoting. 

Thus, the performing art portion of a new arts center is wasted on me. Not so the idea of a place for visual art; I’d love a place like that (think of Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory) but I believe there’s a private sector approach that’s better and cheaper.

A Place for Visual Art

For the most part, that means painting, sculpture and video. Let’s think big—there are some noted art colonies that are home to serious artists and art students. Some benefits of an art colony are art galleries, art in public spaces, art-oriented restaurants, nightlife and an enhanced public image. Some examples: Santa Fe. Black Mountain in North Carolina. Provincetown on Cape Cod.

Putting Loudoun in that league would be a tall order, but we can try. Our rural countryside is a perfect venue. To start, find an established artist who’s also a teacher, and make that person a great offer: A free place to live, a private studio and spaces for their art students. Many farms, especially in the southern part of the county, have guest cottages and barns that could be modified for art use. Surely there are people here who have such places, love art and are willing to create the locus for an art center. Ego can be a motivator, as with the Houston-Picasso Art School.

In addition to finding a place, there’d be a lot of work to find the right artist, who’d be the bell cow. Start by asking Yale’s art department for suggestions. (Yale has one of the premier art departments.) Many ideas come to mind: Start with a summer program. Affiliate with a university. Form a new non-profit to do all these things.

An Unrelated Observation

There was recent bragging that our breweries and wineries put $43 million into Loudoun’s economy. Total income in the County is around $44.6 billion, so the powerful beverage industry generates less than one-tenth of one percent of that. Its economic impact is de minimis, but it produces an overwhelming number of complaints from residents. These places should be more strictly reviewed by the Board by requiring Special Exceptions for any new ones.  

Charles Houston is a retired office building developer who moved from Atlanta to Paeonian Springs thirty years ago. He often uses the double traffic circles at the Route 7/Route 9 intersection. He has been deeply involved in art for many years and in many capacities.