CARLTON FLETCHER: This is the way government’s supposed to work

The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine.

— Indigo Girls

This is the way government’s supposed to work:

— Telling her colleagues she’d gotten complaints from “tons of my constituents,” Ward III Albany City Commissioner B.J. Fletcher said at last week’s commission work session that many in the community were upset with the condition of the Riverside and Oakview cemeteries, which are maintained by the city.

— The media reported on Fletcher’s complaint — including a front-page article in this newspaper — and more complaints poured in.

— Responding to a citizen with specific issues at the cemetery, Fletcher personally met a pastor in the Riverside facility to get an up-close-and-personal view of what the complainant called “deplorable conditions.” “Imagine leading a funeral procession of mostly folks from out of town down these horrible roads into a place that’s this poorly kept,” the pastor told Fletcher.

— The commissioner listened to the pastor’s complaints, took a tour of the facility and snapped a few photos with her cellphone of some of the items of concern: potholes in the roads into the cemetery, overgrown grass and weeds that often concealed headstones, grave markers that had been knocked over, dilapidated outbuildings with gaping holes in the roofs, broken tree limbs, many that had fallen onto graves, exposed rusty nails on cemetery structures, aging decorative walls that were tumbling down.

“Deplorable,” Fletcher said. “That’s the only way I could describe the condition of the cemetery. I saw it as a total disrespect for the families of the people who are buried here. I know there’s been a move by cities to ‘get out of the cemetery business,’ but like it or not we are in it now. And we owe it to the families who have relatives buried in our cemeteries — and to the people who are buried in them — to give them a decent resting place.”

— Fletcher sent copies of her photographs, with an accompanying email of explanation, to City Manager Sharon Subadan.

— Later that day, Fletcher runs into Assistant City Manager Stephen Collier, who assures her that her issues at the cemetery are being addressed.

— Fletcher takes a drive out to the cemetery to see city employees from Facilities Management, including the right-of-way maintenance crew, working to address the issues at the cemeteries.

“This is unbelievable,” Fletcher tells a visitor as she looks over the cemetery grounds. “This is one of those cases of ‘what a difference a day makes.’ Looking out there now, after being here yesterday, this doesn’t look like the same place. This is one of those times where things were done the right way, and I’m proud of the city. I’m proud of Stephen and I’m proud of Sharon Subadan. But mostly I’m proud of our employees.

“This also shows what can happen when citizens in the community reach out to their commissioners. I’ve heard so many people say, ‘It doesn’t do any good, no one’s going to listen.’ That’s not true. We may not be able to do something immediately, but if there’s something that’s going to make the city better, we’re going to listen to our constituents and do what we can to make changes.”

While the outcome of this episode is a plus for the city, its implications run much deeper than just a temporary fix to what is an ongoing problem. This is South Georgia, and except when we’re under drought conditions, summer rains are frequent. And, thus, grass and weeds can often run rampant. But when the city government and its employees — which are, after all, your neighbors and friends — care enough to respond to citizens’ concerns, then you’re creating a positive momentum that can have a far-reaching impact.

Some might even go so far as to say that this is the kind of involvement and response that can turn a community’s fortunes around. That may be a stretch, but it’s not unheard-of. It sure beats that old “nobody ever does nothing” complaint that’s so many citizens’ go-to response.

Your elected and appointed officials have challenged you to bring them your complaints. Take them up on the challenge. What happened at the city-owned cemeteries could very well happen at other places. Before you know it, this could become the Good Life City again. Stranger things have happened.

Email Carlton Fletcher at [email protected]. Follow ABH_Fletcher on Twitter.