Re: Legislative "mechanics" of a $5,000,000 windfall ....

["Lois Melina" <lmelina@moscow.com>]

Sam wrote:
> 
> Sam I am, a puzzled Sam, that is ... puzzled over a $5,000,000 
> inheritance to the "City of Moscow!"
[snip]
> 
> The Mayor and Council were elected to carry out the governance
> of our community.
> 
> It strikes me that the DECISION on the disposition of the
> $5,000,000 is theirs!
[snip]

Sam,
I suppose technically you are correct. Philosophically, the "city of
Moscow" could be perceived as the mayor and council, but I think more
responsibly the "city of Moscow" is the community of Moscow. The mayor and
council were elected to carry out the governance of our community but the
assumption is that they will act in accordance with the wishes of the
community. I view myself as a member of this community even though I live
outside the city limits and do not vote for the council and mayor. But my
husband and I work in Moscow. We shop here. We sent our children to school
here. We go to church here. This is our community and I hope I can have
input even though I do not vote here.

I have become frustrated at governments that go through the motions of
asking for community input when decisions have already been made. I have
become frustrated at those both in and outside government who seem to
believe that acting on the basis of a "majoriity" vote, without first
making an effort to find consensus, is sufficient. Neither build community.

What is interesting to me about this bequest is that it is truly an
unexpected windfall. There is no need to rush to make a decision. There is
no immediate "crisis" that must be resolved. Therefore the city of Moscow
(both the elected governors and the community) have the opportunity to act
through a process that builds community rather than building adversarial
relationships. We have the time to work through the decisions in ways that
reach consensus rather than create divisions. There is something for
everyone here, if we make a serious attempt at developing a good process.

And I would suggest that if an honest attempt at this kind of process is
not made, the price this community will pay will be extraordinarily
high--distrust of government, alienation of facets of the community,
unwillingness to fund future projects. I don't think we can afford that,
despite the $5 million.

So, I hope that the city council and mayor who are responsible for the
voting on this recognize that they have a responsibility far greater than
whether their votes are legally defensible or politically smart. 

Lois Melina