A vote for America’s age-old leadership | May 8

Published 10:34 am Friday, May 8, 2009

By May 19, voters will have decided whether to keep the traditional form of mayor-council government. Although the council-manager form is being strongly advocated by a small group of our island friends and neighbors, most U.S. cities use the mayor-council format.

Citizens must decide for ourselves what is important. Council-manager may offer an efficient government with one layer of bureaucracy removed – the mayor. In its place, we will get a professional manager of the city administration. Bainbridge Island already has a city administrator with the qualifications of a city manager. In council-manager, all city decisions would be made by the council. There would be no one person for islanders to go to with their concerns.

In our government, there is a tradition of “checks and balances.” Our founding fathers were insistent that there be a separation of powers. There is traditionally an executive level, a legislative level and the judiciary. That model has served us well. From the powers of the president to our local mayors, essentially the same model prevails.

The executive level is selected by all of the people to represent their interests. A mayor can propose legislation, but only the council can enact it. Most of all, the executive has the right of veto, which is vested in a mayor’s office representing all of the people. It’s the primary check and balance of the council’s power to approve ordinances and budgets, which the mayor cannot.

In our situation, major decisions can be decided by a 4 to 3 vote. An executive with the right of veto can ensure that controversial decisions must be passed by a majority larger than 4-3. That mayor is our one person “bellybutton” for the rest of us to go to with our concerns. It’s a lot easier than contacting the entire council. If we think the mayor doesn’t represent our interests, we can vote that person out of office. If you don’t like the council, most of us can’t even vote for or against most of them.

Just as this organized group of vocal citizens can potentially change our government, that same effort can affect how the council votes. But we don’t know what this group’s vision for our island is. They are only campaigning against something now. If one of them was campaigning to be mayor, then they would have to tell us their vision. But if they win, when do the rest of us find out their true goals for our city?

I prefer an honest campaign by mayoral candidates – people who will have to tell us what they think.

When you vote, vote for traditional American government – a mayor that we can go to with our concerns. And in November, vote for the mayoral candidate of your choice, after he or she tells us their vision for our island.

Leon Robert

(Editor’s note: According to RCW 35A.12.30: “The mayor shall have the power to veto ordinances passed by the council and submitted to him…but such veto may be overridden by the vote of a majority of all council members plus one more vote.”)