Re: Alturas Technology Park

[Greg Brown <gregb@alaskapacific.edu>]

Bob Hoffmann wrote:

> This issue ties into issues of quality media, which have also been
> discussed here recently.  Isn't it the job of our elected officials to
> govern?

    But how does one define "govern"?  There are competingtheories/roles of
political representation.  The "trustee" role
suggests no particular obligation on the part of the elected official
to consult the electorate.  It suggests that the electorate
should "trust" the representative to do the
right thing.  The "delegate" role suggests that the representative
should pay close attention to the wants/desires of the
electorate.  This representative should vote the will of
those who elected him/her.  From my perspective, there are
far too many (self-appointed) "trustees" in local government
and not enough "delegates."  Delegates may be more
motivated to truly understand what their constituents believe
and may go the extra step to ensure that communication
is successful.

    Regarding the media...the most direct relationship
is between the government and the people.  As you
point out, the media is untrustworthy and not
necessarily objective.  If the middleman (the media)
is not performing a useful function, we have
to find a way to bypass it.

> And isn't it the role of the media to keep the public informed on
> major issues?  If the media were doing a better job, public participation
> might be better.

    No doubt the media has dropped the ball locally onseveral occasions.  But
it's a (too) convenient scapegoat.
We can't count on the media to peform our civic
responsibilities.

--
Greg Brown, Associate Professor
(gregb@alaskapacific.edu)
Alaska Pacific University
(907) 564-8267
Fax: (907) 562-4276