I've never had any trouble getting a response from my council member (Herron). I
don't have trouble getting one from the other council members either. The hardest
part is catching them between meetings. So far, not one has refused to return a
call or an e-mail, though I don't always like what they have to say. But then, I
expect that.
Wizard Marks
Andy Driscoll wrote:
> All city councils need a balance of ward representatives and at-large
> members. For precisely Rosalind's reasons - and many others: not only does
> it allow for alternatives to the fiefdom-controlled ward members who
> manipulate their constituencies by either attention or neglect, there are
> options for those wishing to serve but cannot because entrenched incumbents
> rarely lose the only election held in a given neighborhood. Further, the
> question of perspectives is critical: At-large members bring a citywide
> perspective to a body enmeshed in parochial concerns, i.e., only those that
> affect their wards and constituents, with a rare nod to the the effect of
> legislation on the city as a whole. Votes are traded regularly, and while
> this would not be entirely eliminated by a mixed system of representation,
> it would be more difficult to bend one's policy perspective for a colleague
> whose constituents can't register their protest at the polls, at least
> residents would have an alternative to seek out.
>
> The red herring of diminished representation for minorities under a mixed
> system will surely be thrown out here, but after studying this issue
> extensively as a member of the St. Paul Charter Commission, the numbers
> simply not only do not add up, but the reality is the reverse: more
> representation for everyone and more opportunities to serve.
>
> Ask yourselves these questions: should voters have more than a single
> person representing them on the city council (or anywhere else, for that
> matter), or at least two, perhaps three, with two, three opportunities to
> redress grievances? Should residents have just one or two or more
> opportunities to run and serve on public policy bodies that determine our
> quality of life?
>
> Here's the rub: historically, people of color do not vote in the same
> numbers as white folks, leaving predominantly white neighborhoods as the
> source for more votes on at-large seats. But, the numbers will also tell you
> that white folks do not hold back votes for candidates of color in urban
> areas of our ilk.
>
> In St. Paul, our first black elected city councilmember was elected at-large
> when the council was still elected at-large: Bill Wilson, who went on to
> serve several terms as at-large and Ward 1 councilmember and retired a
> council president. Before that, our top vote-getters in school board races -
> and to this day all at-large - have been men and women of color.
>
> Southern cities, with their manipulative constructs have kept people of
> color off elected bodies for years but, the courts have found, only because
> there is a monolithic white community vs. a monolithic black community. We
> have a long way to go to meld our communities here, but monolithic is not a
> word one can use to describe our subcultures here, especially in politics.
> Sharon Sayles Belton is a perfect example of someone of color, elected
> at-large three times in defiance of challenges by white guys and white women
> all over the place.
>
> The Brian Herrons of the world will become far more responsive if they must
> share their constituents with at-large representatives, and the at-large
> members will offer a citywide perspective that may well contrast with the
> mayor. Mayors need the same challenge. They should not be the only elected
> official representing the city as a whole.
>
> Now, whether proportional representation is introduced at the same time
> could make a charter re-vamp both interesting and more representative of the
> city's diverse populations and political perspectives.
>
> But as long as an all-ward system with winner-take-all elections remain in
> place, you can count on fiefdom arrogance in varying measures to come from
> your ward reps, meaning the lack of response to emails, phone calls, letters
> will continue if the representative doesn't like what you're saying.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Andy Driscoll
> --
> "Whatever keeps you from your work is your work."
> Albert Camus
> The Driscoll Group/Communications
> Writing/Graphics/Strategic Development
> 1595 Selby Ave./Suite 206
> St. Paul, MN 55104
> 651-649-1188/Fax:651-645-3169
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://www.driscollgroup.com
>
> > From: "Rosalind Nelson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2000 20:20:37 -0500
> > To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: Re: Karen Forbes Venting her spleen on Council Herron
> >
> > The times that I called, the person who answered the phone said that Herron
> > would call me back. He didn't. The past couple times, I told the phone
> > person my concern and hoped that he got the message. Maybe I should ask
> > for Connie Kiser or Vickie Brock, or write to them or send them email. At
> > least then I would have some sense of whether things were getting through.
> > It seems as though someone in his office could have advised me that they
> > were the people to talk to.
> >
> > I want to emphasize that I don't have a good alternative. If we had "at
> > large" council members, I might have some other recourse, and this wouldn't
> > be quite so frustrating.
> >
> > Rosalind Nelson
> > Bancroft
> >
> > At 07:20 PM 10/7/00 -0700, wizardmarks wrote:
> >> The people on my block never report lack of return calls. They get answers,
> >> though not always from Herron personally. Sometimes they come from his
> >> assistant or his aide. The last study of the Ward 8 office, done by Vernon
> >> Wetternach, I think, showed that the ward gets at least 160 calls a week,
> > plus
> >> letters--and now plus e-mails. Wards 5, 6, and 9 also get substantial calls.
> >> If you called to complain about something, it was forwarded to the department
> >> which handles the problem (i.e. public works, forestry, etc.). If you called
> >> to give him your opinion on an issue, there's no reason to return the
> >> call/letter/e-mail. If you called to give him informtion, it was checked
> > out.
> >> I usually send e-mails or leave a message on the phone. Many times I talk to
> >> either Connie Kiser or Vickie Brock instead. It's a team effort office, so
> >> that works too. Course, I never try to front him off in public meetings or
> >> call to cuss him out.
> >> Wizard Marks, Central
> >>
> >
> >
> >
