A
body of elected officials are expected to look out
for the interests of its citizens, to conduct its
municipal business in the highest of principles, and
to shun partiality toward friends, family, or business
partners that the advantages of higher office may
lure them to undertake.
If the citizens observe that their elected body is
working toward upholding those values, they are pleased
that they had made the right choices in electing those
to higher office and they trust the process.
Unfortunately, the inverse is also true- if they observe
that their elected officials are taking advantage
of their office to bestow favors for friends or business
associates, are manipulating the course of action
to assert a personal issue or agenda, or are generally
insulting toward those who elected them, citizen trust
erodes.
Fortunately, elections can take care of the problem.
On Tuesday night, Council Chair Pam Wilkinson advocated
strongly and persistently for a reconsideration of
the Tax Increment Financing vote that had failed at
a meeting which she had missed. Ms. Wilkinson had
been on vacation when that vote took place, and she
returned disappointed that things did not go her way.
Ms. Wilkinson had said that one reason to reconsider
is that, "All five of us should be there."
I do not agree. The Councilors are elected, true,
but they are also working people with families and
lives. Sometimes other commitments crop up and a meeting
may be missed. In this case, Ms. Wilkinson was taking
her annual family vacation. That is natural, because
when life goes on, the Council work does not stop.
It goes on, too.
The fact that it was Ms. Wilkinson raising the reconsideration
issue is troublesome in its inappropriateness. Ms.
Wilkinson is employed by the developers who wanted
to modify the TIF. If she had been present, she would
have had to recuse herself from the discussion and
vote, to avoid an appearance of a conflict of interest.
The discussion regarding the TIF was rich and full,
with many present in the audience and a presentation
made not only at that meeting but a previous meeting,
which Ms. Wilkinson had attended. The process was
upheld and the vote duly taken, with all information
disseminated. There was really no basis for asking
for a reconsideration, and Ms. Wilkinson's statement
that 'there were still questions' rang hollow and
even evoked gasps from the audience members who happen
to know that her employment check comes from the ones
for whom she was now advocating.
In my view, the Council Chair's advocacy for a reconsideration
of the TIF vote was a gross misuse of the influence
that comes with elected office.
Impartiality is a chief ingredient to proper management
of the Council business and Ms. Wilkinson's promotion
of a re-vote didn't even come close.
There are three seats up for Council elections in
June. Ms. Wilkinson's and Vice-Chair Lynn Olson's
terms are up and they are not running again. Appointed
member Richard Hall's term is up and he is running
again, for a three-year term.
If you want more of the same from your Council, then
vote for the candidates that you believe will give
you more of the same. If you want something different,
a fresh start, a new day, then vote for the candidates
that you think will give you that.
But above all, vote. It's one way that you can make
a difference in how this town is run.
