A Citizens Committee is Proposed

New City Commissioner Frank DeBrosse brings foward an idea to heal the community

Over the past few months, the topic of battery burning has been front in center in the City of Piqua. This publication has dived into this topic a few times with some of our most popular articles being these two:

A new chapter may be unfolding as the City Commission contemplates a move made by new City Commission Frank DeBrosse in response to the lingering echoes of the battery burning incident at the former Water Treatment Plant. The proposal on the table, seeks to establish a Citizens Commission. This body, composed of Piqua residents, is envisioned not merely as a fact-finding entity but could serve a beacon of community trust and transparency.

The details on the commission are farily light as the full proposal has not been brought in front of the City Commission at this point. However, the genesis of this commission lies in the need for an unvarnished examination of the battery burning that took place and has frankly dogged City Commission meetings for at least the last six months.

What was originally proposed as a fire training academy through a partnership with Bowling Green State University, as controversially evolved into an enviornmental hazard for the community. It appears that the commission's task is to weave through the intricate chain of decisions, actions, and perhaps, inactions that culminated in a community-wide issues that touches on the economic, community and enviornmental sustainability of Piqua.

Without a doubt, this commission will need to explore not only what happened (How many battery burns? What was in the batteries?) but why it happened (Were permits issued? Where permits followed? Did regulators know?) This journey of discovery aims to bring to light the adherence to, or deviations from, environmental regulations and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight. This special commission's task will delve into the realm of administrative processes and seek to untangle the threads of responsibility and accountability. It is not just about unearthing facts but understanding the narrative behind them.

Composed of the very fabric of Piqua – its residents – the commission is intended to be a diverse and reflective microcosm of the community itself. The selection of its members should be guided by principles of transparency and inclusivity, ensuring that the commission is free from bias and vested interests. The comission will hopefully embody a collective wisdom, drawing from varied perspectives and expertise within the community.

Whether this commission will be successful or not will largely depend on the ability of the commission to do it’s work. One of the most important questions that need to be addressed is what kind of information and what kind of authorites will the commission have at its disposal?

Any productive commission will need access to professional assistance, whether internal or external, to help facilitate discussions and be able to help the commission gets answers to the questions that will no doubt arise. For example, ff this special commission has the authority to access crucial documents and conduct interviews, the commission stands at the vanguard of uncovering the truth. However, any special commission that has no staff assitance or any authority to access documents or information will fall well short of it’s anticipated outcome; the comission can simply not do it’s work if it is precluded from getting the access to the resources it will undoubtedly need.

It is expected that the efforts of the commission are to crystallize into a comprehensive report, a document that is anticipated to be more than a mere chronological account. It is expected to be an analytical treatise that not only scrutinizes compliance with legal standards but also gauges the impact on public health and the environment. The crux of this report lies in its recommendations, envisioned to be the seeds for future policy reforms and enhanced community engagement in municipal affairs.

The journey of the commission is not without its challenges – the complexity of gathering accurate information, the navigation through bureaucratic agencies both within and outside city hall and the balance between depth and timeliness of investigation. Yet, these challenges are intertwined with opportunities – this special commission has a chance to mend the fabric of public trust, to set new standards for transparency in city governance, and to fortify the pillars of community involvement.

As this narrative unfolds in Piqua, the proposal for a Special Citizens Commission on Battery Burning should be seen as a step in the right direction; it’s a good faith effort by a new City Commission to confront its challenges head-on and more importantly, bring citizens along in the process. The City should be applauded for their effort and citizens of other communities should rightly ask if their own local governments would take the same steps if such a situation ever arose in their own hometown.

In its pursuit of truth and accountability, this special commission is not just a body of inquiry but a symbol of a community's resilience and commitment to democratic values. The outcome of its endeavors has the potential to not only address a past issue but to light the path for a more responsive and responsible municipal administration, where the community's welfare is the guiding principle.

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