HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/19/2024 Item 7a, Slem
Charles M. Slem <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Vote NO to transitioning to a “Citywide Single Vote” election process!
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I was surprised to see a notification that the city is planning on approving a significant city election change at
tomorrow’s council meeting.
The public has been left out of the discussion about how elections should be improved. That is clearly
unacceptable given the impact on the basic way in which we select council members. I have not seen any
surveys to residents describing the alternative that you are considering and how it stacks up with the other
alternatives.
On the surface, the settlement means that citizens have less determination over their representation rather than
more. If that is all the comparative information we citizens have, then I urge you to vote against the settlement
recommendation.
The fact that the council has not shared the two year litigation process with the public (which would have
generated quite a thoughtful discussion of all the alternatives) is not a justification for having to proceed
because of a backroom deal that was being forged at the expense of the community. The city has already used
“pressing time deadlines” as leverage to pass items which were controversial — usually with negative
consequences. This feels like a repeat.
I hope we are not seeing another “democracy at its worst” moments, especially as there is an inherent conflict of
interest for council members who have a vested interest in keeping the election process as close to the current
unsatisfactory system as possible.
Chuck Slem
348 Lincoln Street
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