The city of Warren has made the right decision in joining the Council of Governments.

In a world in which it’s too easy for our elected officials to worry solely about their individual city, township or borough, the Council of Governments can provide a way for the region’s elected officials to flex a little more might when applying for regional grants or to arrive at mutually beneficial arrangements as our region looks to solve some of its most vexing problems, like emergency response.

For too long Warren has been largely vacant from the COG’s table — though that absence came at a time when the Council of Governments was somewhat loosely constituted and had little authority to do much. As the organization takes steps to create a more formal organization it is imperative that Warren take its seat at the table to help solve some of the region’s key issues.

Warren County faces serious problems that are too big for one township, borough or city to tackle alone. But perhaps having elected officials sitting around the same table, with some authority to make decisions, can help bridge the gaps that too often hold our area back from taking big, decisive actions that benefit us all.

Now that Warren has joined the COG, we hope the remaining holdouts join too. Pulling in our own direction is one reason the area is in the shape it’s in. We need to use our collective voices to unison to bring more outside dollars in and to find mutually beneficial solutions to the problems that plague us.