Local governments are the players most capable of helping meet the RF targets that every local government in the metro Washington region has agreed to work towards. Indeed state and federal government are important partners as well but the real details get hashed out at the local level. With that in mind The Morning Measure pays a lot of attention to news related to local government.

There’s been quite a bit of news and commentary on the topic recently particularly in the areas of local control and transparency. Here’s a round-up:

D.C. residents are apprehensive that the incoming GOP-led House may try to reverse some of its recent prominent legislation such as the passage of same-sex marriage and approval of medical marijuana. As a California Republican takes leadership of the House Committee to oversee the District it’s another reminder that D.C. doesn’t enjoy the same level of autonomy as the states.

As Rushern Baker the new Prince George’s County Executive takes over after Jack Johnson’s troubled last days in office he hopes to chart a new course for the County by beginning to form a watchdog or inspector-general type of office aimed at reducing corruption in the county. On that same topic a WaPo editorial board member argues that the County’s problems are due at least partly to the consistent apathy of its residents.

Lastly on the topic of transparency two editorials push for D.C. and Virginia (okay so the latter isn’t local) governments to allow for meetings and information to be fully accessible to the public.