The “Wall” in Pennsylvania

The world is full of walls. A wall can symbolize protection and separation but can also divide and restrict people and ideas. Some of you may be familiar with the wall in the hit TV series, “Game of Thrones,” which featured a massive ice and rock wall that extended for hundreds of miles and rose to enormous heights – all to protect humans against attacks by a feared army of the undead known as the “white walkers.”

Of course, giant walls are not just the stuff of fiction. Take the Great Wall of China, which served as a military defense against invasions from nomadic tribes. And more recently, there was the infamous Berlin Wall that separated democratic West Germany from communist East Germany during the Cold War. 

So, you might wonder, "What does this have to do with local government in Pennsylvania?" Well, here in the Keystone State, we may not have a literal wall, but we certainly have a concrete divide in our Commonwealth – Interstate 80. When you look at it from the perspective of local government, I-80 really does show two different Pennsylvanias. North of the I-80 divide, communities are primarily rural, less densely populated and dominated by agricultural commerce, including farming, timber, and animal husbandry. You will find that a majority of the municipalities are comprised of a three-member board of supervisors. These smaller townships operate on a limited budget but still meet the mandates imposed upon them by the state. Of course, there are a few cities and multiple Boroughs that operate effectively in the best interest of their residents, but they are not as dense as we see in the southern portion of the state.

In the far northwest corner of Pennsylvania is Erie County. I was fortunate enough to serve as a Township Manager for a community surrounding a college town. In the early 1970s, this community opted to change its type of government to a Home Rule/Optional Plan form. By doing so, they created the position of manager. Now, this county has fourteen townships within its borders. Even though several of them are relatively large, such as Millcreek Township, which is nearly a city in its own right, only one had a professional manager. If you travel to the south to Crawford County, you will see a similar situation, as once again, only one manager handles the municipal operation. Looking westward, you find nothing of a township manager for a number of counties.

In fact, you need to be south of I-80 before seeing another township manager. Indeed, once you cross that “wall” of I-80, you find that considerably more townships are professionally managed. One can assume that due to the denser population and associated growth of commerce, government oversight is best served by professionals. Clearly, exceptions exist on both sides of the I-80 “wall,” but those have been the historical trends.

As more municipalities recognize the benefits of a management-oriented approach to local government, perhaps we will see fewer differences between local governments south of I-80 versus north of I-80.  And when municipal leaders in those smaller, rural communities are ready to consider a more professional style of management, KMS is certainly well prepared to assist in filling this critical position.

So, let’s "fire this thing up," and tear down the walls that divide us. It’s time to usher in a new era of professional local governance.

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About the Author

David L. Anthony is a member of the Keystone Municipal Solutions team of experts. He is a veteran of municipal government, having served more than 33 years in various positions of public service. Contact him at david@keystonemunicipalsolutions.com. To learn more about David and the Keystone Municipal Solutions team, click here.