HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/19/2024 Item 7a, McGrath
Steve McGrath <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Agenda Item 7(a), City Wide Single Vote
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Mayor Stewart, Honorable City Council members,
I oppose the ‘City Wide Single Vote’ proposal set for adoption this evening for two basic reasons:
1 While I recognize the necessity of closed session discussions when in litigation and the efficacy of a
timely reaching of a settlement agreement, on a matter as fundamental as how we elect our city
council I cannot support the idea of adopting the ‘City Wide Single Vote’ method without more
public participation than this one meeting, even though this may in fact be the best option.
2 The staff report states that ranked choice voting was discussed with the County Clerk Recorder who
indicated this was not a viable option with the current resources. I do not accept this as a
reasonable reason to discount this option for the City. Should the voters feel that ranked choice is
the best option to ensure fair and open elections, then they should be given the option to look at
that, and the associated costs, prior to it being dismissed, and without the threat of losing the
ability to consolidate City elections with the County.
Separately, my understanding is that only a transition to districted elections provides immunity from litigation
under the CVRA. Does the proposed settlement agreement extend to, and provide protection from legal
action by other potential and unknown plaintiffs now and in the future?
Thank you for your consideration of these comments.
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