Council Splits 3-2…Again…Really?

Commentary by Dave Freneaux

    At Tuesday’s City Council meeting an all-to-familiar 3-2 vote came on a high profile issue.  I actually DO believe in coincidences, on occasion, but not when they happen with predictable regularity.  The votes on major issues that come before Central’s City Council have become so predictable that the 3-2 votes can in no way be attributed to coincidence.  On almost every routine or mundane issue before the Council the vote is a unanimous 5-0.  However, there is almost always a 3-2 split on any vote which is surrounded by any degree of controversy.  That vote is predictably Washington, Messina and LoBue on one side and DeJohn and Moak on the other.

    Simply working from memory, the following votes on high-profile issues were ALL 3-2, with Washington, Messina and LoBue being the “3”: Rejecting 5 Districts, Enlarging the City Council to seven members (vetoed by the Mayor), Cutting the Legal Services budget, Prematurely disapproving of the Loop, Failing to confirm the City Attorney in 2010, Requesting the release of records from CH2MHill, Cancelling Central’s renewal option for the City Services contract.  Is it really possible that this is a coincidence?

    One possibility is that Central has elected two sets of Council Members, three on one side and two on the other, who actually, and coincidentally, live in very different philosophical worlds.  But, let’s face it, Central is a community that values hard work, family, faith, education and integrity.  In our local elections we see candidates scramble to try to find something, anything, that differentiates them from their opponents.  They do this because, at the root of it all, they all share the same core values and principles.  I reject the notion that the Council’s predictable 3-2 votes are attributable to differences in the core values and philosophies of the Council Members.

    Another possibility, and the one I am inclined to believe, is that it is Political.  Yes, I fear we must all just acknowledge that there is an elephant in the room that no one seems to want to talk about, and its name is Politics.  It is my sincere wish that every decision made by elected officials in Central would be made purely based on the facts of the matter and the best outcome for the people of Central, but I fear it has become more complicated than that.  Don’t misunderstand, I believe that we have quality Council Members who are good people and I am not accusing anyone of doing anything wrong.  But, also understand that the only explanation for the consistent 3-2 split on Central’s City Council is…Politics.