Know Your Government
by Ray Ward 

For the people of the  Waverly area and other Tioga County communities to more cogently perceive the changing scene within County Government, for want of chalk and blackboard this diagram will do. Look at a map of Waverly. One can construct, using streets, an irregular rectangle which aptly illustrates by length of the respective streets the rising or declining importance of the parts of government to the public and to itself. 

 Begin by renaming the streets, ascribing new names, starting with the one block of Center Street as it joins Chemung Street to Clinton Avenue, and as these two streets are linked by Pine Street on the western end of this askew rectangular shape. Center Street, in the scale of values, becomes Public Influence Street, of smallest importance in this design. The segment of Pine Street, which joins the two principle streets on the western end of the ‘box', we shall rename as Legislators Street. It has importance in some measure until viewed in context with Chemung and Clinton. To each of these last, roughly of equal length, we shall give the names of County Chairman and Department Heads Streets.

 One now perceives the rising power of non-elected officials under the Chairman of the County, and the declining power of the legislators, weakened as is public opinion, this last of no importance whatsoever. Now you know why our County spends our treasury on itself, first, then taxes the people for its deficiencies, all with impunity, and to increase our misery and ruin our lives. Is there no one out there to say ‘halt!'