Ongoing Comment
11 July
I have suggested in these pages that voters are becoming
indifferent about city hall activities and, separately, that Royal
Oak's commissioners and mayor are able to separate their personal
relationships from city business. Among the responses to
those suggestions was general agreement with my point about
indifference but spotty disagreement about the impact of
CITCOM personality clashes.
My reaction: If it becomes
generally accepted that personal relationships are
unhelpfully affecting CITCOM deliberations, residents should
begin voting out all incumbents, starting with this November's
election.
Strong Mayor form of government?
The recent head-butting between CITCOM and the Administration
about Royal Oak's budget has caused a, miniscule, resurgence of
the suggestion that Royal Oak might benefit from converting to a
Strong Mayor form of government. . . . Recent and long-standing
impasses between the Mayor and the City Council in Detroit and
Pontiac suggest otherwise. . . . Some thoughts.
Over the years, the ever-changing members of
Royal Oak's city commission have more than once forgotten that the commission
is the Legislative arm of local government and have attempted to behave
as the Executive branch -- most often in the form of micromanaging and
of too often dealing directly with department heads, in violation of the city
charter. Ideally, CITCOM sets policy and Administration executes
policy (hence, "Executive" Branch. Of course, the legislative branch must
continue oversight, to assure that the executive branch doesn't distort policy
in the very act of implementing it. If
CITCOM becomes seriously unhappy with the City Manager, they have the right to
fire him, preferably transparently, but it sometimes happens that
behind-the-scenes skullduggery is involved in replacing a manager or in purges
of the administration, both of which have happened in Royal Oak. In real life,
the form of government doesn't matter as much as the individuals involved. A
titular mayor, who officially is essentially the chairman at commission
meetings, can be so strong or so weak as to substantially affect governmental
operations. Individual commissioners or council members with charisma or clout
of some sort can dominate one or both branches.
The point of all this: Whatever the form of government, its
effectiveness is determined by the character and competence of elected
officials. And, always, the electorate has the power, over time, to clean
house.
As a member of Royal Oak's Charter Review Committee, I may some
day have to study the Strong Mayor suggestion formally. For now, though, I see
no benefit in the idea. It can be
instructive to compare our governmental setup to that of a
nonprofit organization. [See]
Lively election likely but
not inevitable
It would be an exaggeration to say that Royal Oak's 2007 election is heating up,
but the implications of a possible contest for mayor have sparked early
speculation -- and not just about the mayoral challenge.
-
What will be the net effect of (a)
so many candidates for commissioner and (b) the pervasive anti-incumbent mood
out there, not just in Royal Oak?
-
Are all 8 hopeful candidates for
commissioner going to make it, or will a few drop out after experiencing the
dreariness and challenge of gathering more than 500 signatures? (The deadline
for turning in the petitions is Tuesday, 04 September.)
-
Weren't there a couple of other
names out there. Have they decided not to run or will they be coming in later.
(Petitions can be picked up anytime at the City Clerk's office.)
-
Would-be voters are prematurely
making decisions based on whether a candidate has long been visible in civic
circles or is "just now beginning to attend meetings and public
gatherings, write letters to the
editor, and join service clubs."
In the meantime, VersagiVoice will be
talking to those prospective candidates who are willing to meet with me. I have
already reported on my chat with
Arthur Makarewicz
and a page has been opened for
Andrew Androff. My next
meeting is scheduled with Clyde Esbri.
I've had a long conversation with Commissioner
Mike Andrzejak chiefly in his role, in my mind, as Dean of the current City
Commission, not as a candidate, and I'll be writing about that.
Separate from these informal conversations,
VersagiVoice will list each candidate's website as I learn of it and offers
each candidate a page on which to present a position paper. One candidate has
suggested it would be fairer if I established a deadline by which all position
papers must be in my hands -- so latecomers don't have the advantage of knowing
what others have already said.
That last paragraph plus the second bulleted item
above lead me to think any such deadline should be set only after the September
4th deadline at City Hall. -- FJV: 01 Aug 07
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Lively election likely but
not inevitable
Strong Mayor form of government? |
