[Winona Online Democracy] Well said, Paul. This reminds me of a much earlier discussion that we had about civic involvement and how do we as a community or a nation encourage civic involvement and volunteerism.
Kathy Seifert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Double" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Online Democracy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 5:01 PM Subject: FW: [Winona] council pay increase I have never seen a case in our local elections where the quality of the candidates were related to the payment of any form of compensation. The only reason the our School Board even agreed to the money they now receive was to provide relief for board members who needed to pay out of pocket money for child care while they were attending the many "committee meetings" not board meetings. While the money is appreciated, when compensation gets to the level of getting people running for office because of pay the quality of government will diminish not improve. It is the passion of feeling that you can make a difference the keeps democracy alive and well and brings forth candidates who want to serve for the right reasons. Paul Double - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vicki Englich Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 10:00 AM Phil, I agree 100% with your distinction. Tom, I understand your point, but any elected official has to make those tough decisions, and each decision will be unpopular with some constituent. These are part time positions held primarily by those who earn full time salaries from their "day" jobs. Those who are retired most likely have pensions. They chose to run for office, accepting the responsibilities, frustrations, criticisms, and the rest of the baggage that goes along with making policy in the public spotlight. I do not begrudge any of our elected officials being paid by our tax dollars, but I do request that in times of bare bones budgets that they do the right thing and forgo any pay increase. In this case, symbolism is everything. Our librarians, for example, are trying to provide the same high quality service to the public despite the budget cuts. I have heard no complaints, and I bet that other government employees are having to cope with similar issues due to reduced staff. Everyone is affected by these cuts--including the public. The policy makers should be affected, too. Vicki Englich _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
