Warren council’s cowardly act

Warren council’s cowardly act

We have a suggestion for where the city of Warren can find the money to pay for the process of pursuing a charter form of government. Take it out of the salaries of the city’s council members, because it is clear that most members of council are more interested in protecting the status quo than in doing their jobs.

The rationale given by some council members for voting against putting a charter issue on the November ballot rings hollow. There isn’t enough time to adequately inform the city’s voters of what’s at stake in pursuing a change in city government, they claimed.

How much time would be sufficient?

A charter proposal for the city was actively discussed seven years ago, and, again in 2007.

Wasting other people’s time

This year, city council named a 13-member committee to study the charter issue. Those public-spirited citizens spent untold hours educating themselves and discussing how a charter form of government might improve city operations. Then, when the very committee that was appointed by council made its recommendation to place an issue on the ballot, six of the city’s 10 council members smacked it down. Time is too short, they said. It will cost between $30,000 and $45,000 to pursue, they worried.

Granted, $45,000 is serious money, but given the possibility of running the city more efficiently for decades into the future, it would be a wise investment.

The issue proposed for November’s ballot would have established a charter commission, building on the groundwork done over the last five months. It would have been another year before a charter would have been presented to city voters for adoption or rejection. How could that not provide enough time to educate voters?

The six who pretended to have the city’s best interests at heart, while hiding behind specious explanations for voting no, should be ashamed.