Alphabet Soup of Government

Right now I'm at the MWCOG leadership retreat in Cambridge, MD. What is MWCOG you ask and why am I - a Fairfax City guy - here. Well, MWCOG, which stands for the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments - is a quasi-governmental body whose members are comprised of all the jursidictions in the D.C. metro area. The City is obviously included and I serve as the City's representative on the organization's Board of Directors. Good people.

Now how is it important to the City of Fairfax. In short, MWCOG - along with the subcommittee known as the Transportation Planning Board (I serve on that, too) - is part of the alphabet soup of government and governing.

To the average voter who is, and should be, focused on what's important in their lives, government is there when you need it (social services, police, fire and rescue) and is also an afterthought. For instance, you assume the traffic lights will work, that the trash will be picked up and that the median will be mowed. Local government does that.

COG is an organization focused on developing both short and long term solutions for the region. And while it is a mouthful to say, COG is important to the City. For instance we are being included in a regional grant application for a bike sharing program. Thanks to Douglas Stewart pointing to the grant and our request, the City will recieve funding if the federal grant is approved.

So the alphabet soup of government can be complex but with great staff, colleagues and organizations like COG, we can effectively serve you and make the City an even better place to live.