We need to consider proportional rep and instant runoff and perhaps other
ideas we haven't heard about yet. The present system does not work well.
It is likely that proportional representation will attract more candidates,
but financing a campaign is still an uphill battle. Will the result be just
a few more party affiliated candidates scooping up the votes because
no-names can't raise funds? This would be especially true for city-wide
seats if we move to a mix of ward and at-large council members. Is campaign
financing an issue at this level?
With instant run-off, is it mathematically possible never to achieve 50%?
That is, if we really had a large number of candidates to choose from, and
with some voters (maybe a majority) voting for only one candidate, could it
be that even with removing lowest vote getters, the result would be a less
than 50% margin?
We need to look at whether a city manager system would remove some of the
politics from decision making. What about variances -- good or bad to rest
control in a bureaucrat or an elected official? Would environmental concerns
be easier or more difficult to address? Financing policies like TIF?
Interface with other elected bodies? If we had good policies in place, and
there were opportunities for reasonable flexibility, would a city manager
system more fairly apply the policies? What role would citizens play in
planning decisions (both local and city-wide)? With a city manager, it seems
more likely that a part-time council would be sufficient. That would place
the council more in the role of a board of directors that sets policy,
leaving day-to-day operation to the city manager.
I would like moving back to two-year terms for council members, although
with proportional rep, perhaps that is less important. What about term limits?
I have mixed feelings about separate Park and Library boards. It is good to
have a kind of separation of powers, but that also means citizens have to
run more gauntlets. At various times, we can find champions at one level but
not at another. That has benefits. On the other hand, if one elected person
had the responsibility for integrated planning, policy and funding, the
accountablility would be clear. Would citizen participation be easier or
more difficult?
Can we engage enough citizens to have a real debate on these issues?
Fran Guminga
Bottineau, Ward 3
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F. Guminga
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
