Ukrainian Delegation Learns about Local Government and Services

A small Ukrainian delegation visited Washington County this week to learn about local government and to express their gratefulness to our country.

As a Washington County Commissioner, I was honored to meet with the six women and their interpreter at the Bradford House Meeting Room in downtown Washington on Tuesday. Their weeklong visit was funded by the Rotary Club of Washington, the Washington County Bar Association, and the Congressional Office for International Leadership’s Open World Exchange Program. The women, who work in governmental and nonprofit roles in Ukraine, were eager to learn about ways to improve their own war-torn communities when they return home.

My presentation focused on Washington County’s role in providing human services, overseeing the jail, the courts, and the parks. I pointed out that most of the services that greatly impact our residents are provided by boroughs, townships and cities. It’s this level of government that maintains local roads and provides police protection. The ladies were quite interested when I explained that there are a few paid fire departments in our county, but most of the 67 municipalities have volunteer fire departments. I explained that fire protection is provided by men and women who hold other jobs and volunteer their time to provide emergency services.

“Why do volunteers do it, why doesn’t the government do it?” one of the ladies asked.

I explained that our government operates at a very grass roots level and that Americans are free to make decisions, whether good or bad, locally. That volunteer firefighting is often a passionate, family tradition and a way of giving back to the community.

After my presentation, some of the women detailed how every family in Ukraine has been affected by the war: villages and families have been destroyed and how thousands of children are missing. One lady showed me a navigation app on her phone that provides the level of danger, from drones and missiles, in any given area at any given time. All were thankful for the assistance the United States has provided to their country.

I would like to thank the local organizations for arranging this visit and for inviting me to participate in this program. Opportunities like this that made me proud to be a Washington County Commissioner.

Larry Maggi

maggil@co.washington.pa.us