Need a change, not a hero-mayor to save us | Letters | April 10
Published 5:56 pm Thursday, April 9, 2009
Most Bainbridge citizens informed about the council-manager form of government believe it is the right choice for our island. While most of those citizens will vote “yes,” there are a few who are following a troubling line of reasoning causing them to hesitate despite a preference for council-manager.
Their concern is that while council-manager is a good option in the long run, now is not the time to change. Instead, they believe we need a hero in the form of a mayor to guide us through these difficult times.
I would submit that there are serious flaws with this line of reasoning, and I hope that those thinking about voting “no” will consider the following before mailing their ballots in a few short weeks.
Perhaps most significantly, there is no guarantee that any particular candidate will win. We all know this to be an obvious fact, and yet it is clear that many reasonable folks are banking on the election of a particular candidate. Such confidence is enviable, but anyone putting faith in a particular candidate must consider the very real possibility that another candidate may win, and be willing to accept that outcome.
In a similar vein, some have not yet identified a good candidate for mayor, but are hopeful that one will appear between now and the filing deadline in June. These folks are betting on even longer odds, odds that serve to demonstrate one of the major flaws in the mayor-council form of government.
Under council-manager, our council may conduct a nationwide search to find an experienced, professional manager. Under mayor-council, our community rolls the dice every four years hoping that one of our neighbors – who possesses both strong leadership and managerial skills – is willing to undertake an expensive political campaign, commit to four years at City Hall and actually get elected. Experience has taught us that such is not always the case.
Finally, it appears that many who believe that only a hero-mayor can heal our broken city government also believe that we can choose to adopt council-manager in four years after their candidate has done his or her magic.
To this I would say that it is very unlikely that there will be the political will or tolerance in the community for another petition drive and campaign in just four years. In reality, in voting “no” this year, one must understand that should the ballot measure fail, our Island would need to find excellent candidates for mayor in 2009, 2013, and likely for many years thereafter.
I encourage my friends and neighbors to consider the pros and cons of both forms of government. But I would also caution every one of them to think carefully before they follow any white knight off into the great unknown. I, for one, will vote “yes” for council-manager. It’s time to stop gambling with our future.
Kirsten Hytopoulos
Bainbridge Island
