There's a certain air of arrogance surrounding much of what they do. At least that is the perception I get from reading the paper.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the possibility of a long departed carousel making a return to its home town. I'm happy to report a very generous couple has purchased it from the current owners and are already packing it for the trip. The question is where should it go.
Many have suggested it be incorporated into the plans for the revitalization of McEuen Park. When suggested the Mayor commented, "We're not looking at buildings, per se, so I don't know if it could fit." My question is if the plan they were unveiling was merely a concept, why not? Her statement, knowing the council's history, suggests an already done deal. Nothing more to be done than go through those pesky motions.
Since that time there has been much debate as to whether or not the suggested changes should be put to a public vote. Today's headline in the Coeur d'Alene Press screamed, McEuen: Public Won't Vote. The vote will be up to the Council. The controversy comes from the Council's proclivity to push through controversial issues without necessarily playing by the rules. So some say. They say it often enough that it's beginning to resonate.
Such is the case here. Though the article went to great lengths to explain various procedural aspects, the statement that stood out, again from the Mayor, is "Everything has been voted on by the public because they voted for the elected officials." This comes across to me as rather elitist.
When the Council was elected there was no conceptual plan so the statement is self-serving in suggesting that the Council is all knowing. The public had no idea what the plan might or might not entail and the Council certainly had no idea how the public would react. The question is do they care.
As planned, this will be an enormous undertaking and the expenditure hefty. When it comes to digging into the public's pocket they tend to want to have a say. Not just hearings where the powers can pick and choose, but a say as in vote.
I doubt that will come to pass. However, it might be easier going if the "we've got the power" attitude was tempered.
4 comments:
Mayor Bloem and LCDC make these kinds of decisions ahead of time and only play charades with public input. Always have. Always will.
Mari, write a letter to the newspaper editor for the forum. When I have a concern, I find it helpful to express my concerns. Ofter others will jump on the bandwagon. They just need a leader to start the discussion.
Margie, There have been plenty of letters to the editor and the opposition is alive and well. I don't live within the city limits and my voice holds no sway. I just like to poke at them every now and then. Otherwise I stay away from local issues by choice.
Anonymous, I opened my comments to everyone for this post. I'm closing it again due to the amount of foreign language spam I have to contend with. If you'd like to continue to comment, there are ways without having a blog.
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