Editorials: guns in schools, NN welcome center, Morgan's retirement

A weekly roundup of short opinions offered by the Daily Press Editorial Board

December 21, 2012

The rush to bear arms

Gov. Bob McDonnell is right to suggest that keeping our children safe at school ought to be a top priority. But his proposal that school personnel be allowed to carry guns goes too far.

Posting highly trained armed guards at guard school entrances is a measure we thought we'd never have to recommend, but the day may have come for such action. It would certainly make more sense than having a school-full of defensive weapons that could go off accidentally or worse, fall into the hands of students.

As we said earlier this week, increasing the gun supply shouldn't the knee-jerk solution to rampant gun violence in our nation. Tighter restrictions on souped-up assault weapons, required training for those issued gun permits and better background checks on the mentally ill are logical solutions worth pursuing — in combination.

It's understandable that in the wake of last week's horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., citizens — including our own governor — want to take some sort of immediate action. Let's focus that protective energy on reducing the arsenal available to a would-be slaughterer instead of filling our school buildings with dangerous weapons.

An expensive welcome mat

The City of Newport News recently announced it plans to spend $180,000 next year on upgrading its visitor center.

The price tag includes $72,000 for a new LED sign and $95,500 for landscaping and a picnic/play area. An interactive monitor costing $12,900 will feature a touch-screen map that tourists can use to find local attractions, lodging and restaurants.

While these bells and whistles will no doubt be attractive, at a time when many residents are cutting back to make ends meet, the effort seems excessive.

Furthermore, instead of creating city-specific welcome centers, why not support a regional effort to draw people to the area? It's time our localities joined together to create one visitor center on the Peninsula. While each city has specific things to offer, painting a broader picture of what the region has to offer as a whole would likely have more impact — and convince more visitors to come to the Peninsula to spend their time and money.

Salute to Morgan

The Newport News City Council faces a challenging task in the coming year: replacing City Manager Neil Morgan.

Mr. Morgan has worked for the City of Newport News in various positions for 24 years, and the institutional knowledge that comes with such experience is invaluable to this 3,600-employee organization. The announcement that he will retire in May came as a surprise to many Council members, who have praised his performance and leadership during his three years in the position. They recently rewarded his service with a 4 percent raise and a $10,000 increase in his deferred savings program.

Mr. Morgan's solid stewardship has aided progress in many areas of the city, including revitalization in Denbigh and the new Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School now under construction downtown. He has kept a steady hand on the tiller during a time of increased challenges to local governments.

We wish Mr. Morgan the best as he joins his wife JoAnn in the pursuit of what he calls "other opportunities and interests, long deferred." His leadership will be greatly missed.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR: Time is running out for Citizen of the Year nominations. If you know someone whose contributions have made the Peninsula a better place to live and work, send a brief description to rtroyer@dailypress.com or complete the online form at dailypress.com/citizen. Nominations will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Dec. 31.