New Year’s resolutions for 2008

County Executive Jack B. Johnson kept true to his promise and has brought police staffing levels to more than 1,500 – the most in county history – and pledges to hire more next year. He has championed bringing more businesses to the county, and growth is finally starting to become visible around Metro stations.

As the year draws to a close, however, one can’t help but notice the work that wasn’t accomplished this year or in past years.

The Prince George’s hospital system, which has limped along financially for years, must be a priority in 2008. The group of hospitals and health care centers serves 180,000 people per year but has struggled because of its large number of uninsured patients. County and state officials debate each year how to address the problems, and each year nothing substantial occurs. State and county budget shortfalls will make bargaining even more difficult than in the past, but health-care employees and patients have waited far too long for lawmakers to get it together. Johnson, the County Council and state officials must make the county hospital system a top resolution for 2008.

Crime continues to be over the top in Prince George’s, as well. Although at last count overall violent crime was down, homicides are slightly higher than in 2006. In defense of the police department, it, too, has made strides. County officers are working with Washington police to share resources along the border, where many of the homicides are occurring; truant students are being rounded up, preventing them from getting into trouble when they should be in school; nightclubs and apartments that seemed to attract criminal activity were targeted, and the list goes on.

But having more than 130 residents slain each year is horrendous. There is no doubt that the homicide battle is a complex issue to tackle, but it is of utmost importance. At this year’s rate, about two people were killed every week in Prince George’s. Officials must resolve to find a way to cut this number significantly next year and beyond.

Rural tier preservation must also be settled. For years, the debate has waged over whether landowners in rural areas should be allowed to sell their land or land development rights to builders or whether they should lose out for the sake of preservation. These landowners, some of whom had relied on their property’s value for retirement, deserve an answer, as does the rest of the county since this plan could dictate the future of development in Prince George’s.

Lawmakers aren’t the only ones who need to make resolutions that will benefit the county. Residents need to pledge to become more involved. Schools are always in need of assistance, neighborhood groups can always use more members and government officials can always benefit from hearing new perspectives.

It’s time to stop the legacy of lingering problems and instead create a legacy of solutions.