THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 3, 1995 TAG: 9502010129
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY XIAOHONG ZHANG SWAIN, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Chesapeake City Councilman John W. Butt, who was recently elected to the board of directors of the National League of Cities, says many American cities have the same primary concerns: education, health care, creating jobs, public safety, communication, federal tax reduction and funding for federal mandates.
Butt said that is why his experience on Chesapeake's City Council has prepared him for the governing body of the national organization that represents the interests of municipal governments in Congress.
As a member on the transportation and communication committees for the City of Chesapeake, the Virginia Municipal League and the National League of Cities, Butt has developed a personal interest in modern communications technology.
Butt said the computer-based ``information superhighway'' will be of great service to cities in many areas, including education, health care and law enforcement.
In December, shortly after he was elected to the board of directors of the league, Butt met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and Vice President Al Gore on the issue of developing the new communications technology.
``We (the cities) want to be partners with the federal government,'' Butt said. ``We don't want some company to come into the city and start tearing down places (to begin a federal project). If the federal government makes a new rule, they should ask us about it.''
Butt said he is concerned about the reduction of funding for federal mandates, such as pollution-control programs. It's difficult to meet government standards when there's a lack of funds, he said.
As the vice chairman of the Tidewater Regional Transit Authority, Butt is also concerned about reduced federal funding for local public bus services.
``More federal funds will be cut from the mass transit system,'' he said. ``It's a bad situation.''
Butt said the cutting of federal funds in general places a burden on the city government to balance its budget.
``I'd like to see the city budget balanced,'' Butt said.
Butt and U.S. Rep. Norman Sisisky testified in front of the House Transportation Subcommittee on obtaining $5 million in federal funds for preliminary work on improving Battlefield Boulevard. The House has since approved the amount, and it is now before the Senate.
Butt said completion of the Lake Gaston water project is vital to preventing water shortages in Chesapeake. The city also plans to add additional lakes in Bowers Hill and Deep Creek to reserve water, he said.
Butt said Chesapeake can learn from the successes of other cities in the league.
``For example, one city puts markers with reflectors near the fire hydrants,'' he said, ``so the firefighters don't have to try to search for a hydrant in the evening.''
Other cities can learn from Chesapeake, too, he said. Other members of the National League of Cities have shown their admiration of Chesapeake's modern style City Hall, its spacious library and cable television station WCTV-23 and radio station WFOS-FM. In addition, they envy Chesapeake's good interstate highway system, railroads and access to Norfolk ports, Butt said.
The 30 members on the league's board of directors will conduct a congressional meeting in March to discuss issues with individuals from the Congress, Butt said. ILLUSTRATION: John W. Butt
by CNB