City Council Districts- The Elephant in the Room

An Editorial by Dave Freneaux

    If any of Central’s five Council Members were asked, “Should a Council Member’s interest in re-election in 2014 have any influence on what election structure they support for Central’s City Council Seats?” I believe they could say no.  I believe that they could each have the integrity and independence to keep politics out of the decision and consider what will be best for our City in 2040, and not worry about 2014 and how it might affect their political future.

    The expression “The Elephant in the Room” refers to an obvious problem or risk that no one seems to want to discuss.  The “Elephant” in this case is NOT HOW Central’s City Council seats will be elected in 2014, it is the challenge that our CURRENT five Council Members face in deciding whether to change the City Council “At Large” election process.

    Let’s just go ahead, break the ice, and talk about the “Elephant in the Room”.  All five of Central’s City Council Members live less than two miles from the corner of Greenwell Springs and Sullivan Roads.  Dividing the City’s voters into either five or seven Districts would very likely mean that most or all of the current Council Members would also live in a single City District.  If that were the case, they would likely all be competing for one Council seat if they sought re-election in 2014.

    So why is this a problem?  Let’s assume that at least three, and maybe four or five, of the current Council Members intend to seek re-election in 2014.  These same Council Members, at the Council Meeting on July 12th, will be considering an Ordinance which could make re-election in 2014 much harder for each of them.  Running as the incumbent Council Member is an advantage, an advantage they would lose if they were all running for the same City Council Seat.  Meanwhile, four other Council Seat races would feature fresh faces from the City who would not be running against a sitting Council member.

    It almost seems unfair to these five Council members to be asked to make the decision as to how the Council Seats should be elected in 2014, but the law requires them to make this decision.  To round out consideration of this matter, recall that three of Central’s Council Members, LoBue, Messina and Washington, were elected on a platform of supporting a move to Districts.  Central’s other two Council Members, DeJohn and Moak, have recently stated that they have heard the people’s support for Districts and that they too support a move to City Council elections by District.

    I have a great deal of respect for the time end energy it takes to be an informed, prepared, and fair-minded Council Member.  I choose to believe that in considering a change in Central’s City Council election method, that decision will be made solely on the basis of what is best for Central.  Our five Council Members each have the ability to make independent and informed decisions, and this issue should be no exception.