Memo to Carroll County's incoming board of commissioners:
Before you take office tomorrow, here are some thoughts on the challenges you face.
Two of you -- W. Benjamin Brown and Richard T. Yates -- are new to the job. Donald I. Dell is returning for a second term but to a board that promises to behave much differently from the one whose term is up.
If you thought that campaigning for election was hard work, just wait. Governing Carroll County will be (pardon the pun) much more taxing.
Voters supposedly give all elected officials a "honeymoon." During this period, new representatives are given the opportunity to get acclimated to their new offices. You supposedly have time to settle in, find the bathroom and get acquainted with the army of department heads, administrators and other functionaries whose jobs are to carry out your policies.
That'll be Monday afternoon.
By Tuesday morning, the honeymoon's over.
The same problems that plagued this county before the election persist. Citizens, many of whom did not vote or voted for your opponents, aren't about to cut you slack. They will expect you, unreasonably, to be miracle workers who can solve problems that your predecessors could not.
Not only do they want instantaneous action, they would like you to build the necessary schools, roads, senior centers, libraries, parks, recreation centers and jails without raising taxes or borrowing money.
They don't want to hear that these are impossible demands. You were elected because you told the public what it wanted to hear and indulged its magical thinking.
(I know, if you hadn't made all those unrealistic campaign promises, you wouldn't have gotten elected. The problem is that now that you have established certain expectations, voters expect you to fulfill them.)
Your task is to educate them about the realities of living in a rapidly growing county that has failed to develop a long-range strategic plan to provide or finance basic government needs.
Within the first couple of months, the three of you had better agree to a basic game plan for the next four years. You will probably have to deal with a number of complex issues simultaneously. At times, you may feel like jugglers frantically moving to keep a dozen knives in the air.
Is managing growth the issue that needs attention most? If so, you had better start to determine which methods you will use to get residential growth under control. You may need to study the question, but don't take long. The longer you ponder the question, the more houses that will be built.
Solicit input from everyone from developers to environmentalists. one has a monopoly on good ideas; you are in a position to select the best suggestions.
Once you decide on a strategy to manage growth -- whether it is limiting the number of building permits, restricting the number of lots developers can record or some other system -- stick to it. The past practice of the commissioners, backing off policies as soon as they are established, creates confusion.
Focus on the needed public infrastructure -- schools, roads, water and sewer systems, parks and libraries. Every year of delay means more overcrowded classrooms and more congested roads and more aggravated constituents.
If people had wanted their children to be educated in portable classrooms, they would have moved to West Virginia. Carroll is not a poor county, but in the past decade it has behaved as one.
Instead of waiting for state money, begin thinking of ways to forward-fund school construction. Prying money from the state will be even more difficult than in years past.
True, raising taxes is supposedly the most effective method of committing political suicide, but without the additional revenue, it will be impossible to finance construction of the county's desperately needed amenities.
A good case can be made for a slight tax increase. You will be surprised how many people -- particularly those whose children attend crowded schools -- won't complain. Get any increase enacted early in your term rather than later.
Keep your focus on achieving results. Don't listen to the complainers and whiners. Nothing you do will make them happy.
You won't be able to please all the people all the time, but if you start addressing some of the problems that have been ignored, you're likely to please more people than you will alienate.
If you can make some headway and solve some of these problems, you'll probably be in a good position to get re-elected. It is also possible that after four years as a county commissioner, you'll want to find a job with less stress and more rewards.
Best of luck.
Brian Sullam is The Baltimore Sun's editorial writer in Carroll County.