Events of recent months show that different political groups can work together for the benefit of the entire county.
The most recent of those collaborations is the City of Aiken and Aiken County reaching final agreement on plans for a new public safety substation in College Acres. The City and County have agreed on a 60/40 split with Aiken paying for the majority of the facility to be located on Citadel Drive.
This is not the first such effort at cooperation among government entities. The City and County along with Aiken County Open Land Trust worked together to arrange the purchase of Boyd Pond Park which was formerly owned by the ORA - the recreational arm of the Savannah River Site.
The City and County have also worked together on overlay districts that protect major arteries coming into the city.
Aiken, Aiken County and the City of North Augusta agreed in principle to allocate about one-third of future 1-cent sales tax money for road construction. Having all three bodies pitch in this amount of money in future iterations of the sales tax will allow for significant roadway projects to get accomplished without waiting for money from the state or federal government.
In past years various political entities have not always worked with such cooperation in mind. The type of thinking in which the Cities and the County look for ways to work together for the benefit of all of their constituents is a breath of fresh air when one looks at the political landscape nationwide. Too often we see petty squabbles keeping progress from being made. While our county leaders are not perfect, they do make strong efforts to work together to make the county a better place for all.