At the July 6 Holly Springs town council meeting, Kenneth Martin, the de facto lead of the voting district movement in town, expressed reservations with the report that Mayor Sears prepared. He stated a number of things which he would have liked to have seen in the Mayor's report and did not feel it was balanced since opinions like his were not included.
This is where "citizen responsibility" comes into play. If those who support district voting are truly passionate about this issue, they will conduct the research and present data which supports their opinion. This is the best way to affect change...do the research and present a compelling case. To date, no one who has spoken or written in support of voting districts, has provided data which supports the change. If I was in their shoes, I would research votes cast by the current council to determine if they have voted as a block in favor of projects or issues which directly benefited their areas of town or to the detriment of other areas. I would also research other towns, of similar size, and find out why they have districts, how it has benefited them as well as the problems they have experienced.
All I have heard or read has been emotionally based. I have looked at this issue myself and found that the emotional perspective is all that district proponents have. So the advice here for any issue is...if you truly want to affect change make a proposal based on facts and data which also considers the pros and cons.
Hank - I have not yet seen the "report" in question but I am wondering: does it contain FACTS that support the viewpoint opposing districts, or does it include the OPINIONS ("emotional" or otherwise) of select individuals, or does it contain both?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance for your response.
Linda Gardner Crandall
I would suggest that you obtain a copy and make that call yourself.
ReplyDeleteI certainly intend to, and I will be looking for the FACTS in the report showing the alleged failures in the district concept in practice (in towns similar to ours). I'm not interested in the opinions of others in the report but I will -- as you suggest -- form my own.
ReplyDeleteLGC
I really expected more of a report myself. It was just a compilation of emails. To me, the burden is on the district supporters to show weaknesses in the at-large system used in HS.
ReplyDeleteI believe we found a HUGE weakness of the at-large system at the last meeting. The Sunset contingency trying to restrict the rest of HS form using the public streets. The needs of the other 50 subdivisions is far different than Sunset. Also look at the average age of the council and compare it to the average age of the residents. Without districts, you end up with a council that is NOT representative of the people. This is exactly what our forefathers were trying to avoid. We need districts!
ReplyDeleteDistricts will
•result in an increase in minority voice in Board elections, and may increase voter turnout.
•Lower campaign costs which will increase the universe of potential candidates leading to more competitive elections.
•Provide greater accessibility and accountability by council members to District voters.
Just my two cents
Vinnie D'Agostino
Let me weigh in on your comments....
ReplyDeleteNote sure which issue, but if it is the "playing in the street" issue, I think you are exaggerating a bit to further your agenda for district representation. I watched the 7/20 meeting on HSTV11 as well as the town website numerous times, and the council left the impression that they wanted an ordinance which banned playing in the street in addition to the recreational equipment issue. Everyone seemed on board with the direction to draft an ordinance to implement this ban. If that was not what they intended, someone should have spoke up and clarified. I really think the council created this hysteria by not being clear with their intentions. It is quite a stretch to link these topics together.
Yes, the avg age of the council is probably 25-30 years higher than the average age in town. When I left the council, I was the youngest by about 18 years. I have nothing against having mature people on the council , but I did serve when John Schifano, Peter Atwell and I were all in our thirties, and governing in HS had a very different dynamic.
At-large elections do provide solid and fair representation. I have not seen where this council has systematically voted to provide benefits to one section of town over another. Using this street recreation issue as a basis for implementing district representation is as weak as the emotional arguments whcih have been shared thus far at council meetings and in the newspaper. I really don't understand how elections can be more competitive either. If the entire area west of Main St was one district in the last municipal election, then you would have been the only candidate. Not sure how competitive that would have been? Candidates vying for different district seats would not have to debate nor challenge each other! At-large elections require each candidate to appeal to the interests of the entire town, not just their district. The accountability of the district rep essentially ends at the district border, since their political life depends on how much s/he appeals ONLY to the voters in the district.(This is if the district format is set up like the WCPSS School Board). Thus far no one, to my knowledge, has submitted a proposal outlining how they would want a Holly Springs district representative system set up. I appreciate you weighing in on this, but I still challenge anyone to come up with compelling, objective data which proves that the town council elections need to be in this format.
Candidates who have a good message and ability to connect with people generally get elected. Those who prey on the fears of the people tend to be one term officials, as we say happen in 2009 and will likely see in 2011.
You may know that two council members who live in SSR have their homes on the market. If they move to the western side of town, would this change your thoughts any? What matters more? Where someone lives or how they govern?