Editorial: Our wishes for 2012

On the front page of today’s News Virginian, you can find a list of what this newspaper judged as the top local stories of the year. Because we were looking back at 2011, we chose a list of the top 11, instead of the traditional 10.

Similarly, when pondering our wishes for the New Year, we chose another odd number. So consider this our “Top 5”:

1. For continued revitalization: 2011 was a year of moving forward in the region, especially in Waynesboro, to which thousands of dollars in grant money flowed, mostly for tourism and downtown revitalization. At one point, six grants totaling $1.3 million were announced in a six-week period over the summer.

The big one was a $770,000 Community Development Block Grant, which will go toward paying for the rehabilitation of about 25 buildings, improvements to Wayne Avenue and upgrades to Constitution Park within the next two years.

Now comes the hard part for local leaders. The grants have been awarded. The community will look to see how they’re put to use.

2. For a bigger presence in the global economy: Waynesboro residents also should be encouraged by the locality’s ongoing pursuit of trade relationships with partners in China.

A nine-member delegation of business leaders and government officials spent a week there in November, and Chinese dignitaries indicated an interest in American-made products to meet their growing population’s needs. Printer company DASCOM, whose U.S. branch is based in Waynesboro, also discussed possible expansion with Councilman Mike Harris.

Another local group will head to China in April. May they strengthen the bonds our leaders already have established.

3. For leadership in Augusta County: November’s election brought five new supervisors to the seven-member county board, though one of those new faces is familiar: Larry Wills of the Middle River District returns after a two-decade absence.

That much new blood probably will mean changes and certainly will mean a learning curve, but here’s to hoping the group accomplishes much this year.

4. For the continued delivery of quality education: 2011 saw a lot of turmoil in the Staunton schools as Superintendent Steve Nichols resigned last month after an embezzlement case rocked R.E. Lee High and School Board members asked him to step down.

Disagreement cropped up in Waynesboro near the end of the year, too, as some City Council members said they wanted to explore allocating local money to the schools by line item, instead of in a lump sum.

That would give them greater power over the district’s budget, which irritates School Board members. Resolution of this disagreement and a new beginning in the Queen City are what’s needed.

5. For the nurturing of community: In contrast to violence around the world, and nearly nonstop bickering in Washington, neighbors in the Valley remained committed to each other, donating their money, time and other resources when hardship struck those in the region. One needed to look no farther than local toy, food and blood drives over the past few weeks to see this, or simply to witness otherwise-harried Christmas shoppers dropping money into the Salvation Army red kettles stationed outside area stores.

This year will bring a presidential election that’s sure to be testy, as well as continued questions about the economy and issues such as health care reform. Let’s try to look for common ground as much as possible. That’s where we’ll find progress.