Last week Emerson Lynn wrote an editorial in which he referred to our 14-member advisory committee appointed by the city commission to propose a resolution to the mayor-council-commission quandary that has plagued us for close to a year: a resolution that the commission decided to ignore. Included in Lynn’s essay was an invitation for others to offer their opinion.
Going back to the beginning of the quandary, remember that last April we voted to eliminate the city commission — by a magnificent two to one majority. If no other action was taken then Kansas Statute 14-103 concerning governing bodies in cities with a population between 4,000 and 8,000 would apply. This statute establishes a mayor-council system with two council positions elected from each of four wards and a mayor to be elected at-large.
Lynn’s opinion was the existing form of government worked well for years, and I wouldn’t disagree. But I strongly agree with the two-to-one vote that it is time for a change: the best change is mandated by statute. But in 1965 a Constitutional Amendment was passed that allows our current commission to do just about any other thing they want, subject to more petitions, votes and costs.
The original commission form was sometimes called “The Texas Idea,” and that was a long time ago. For us, today, my thought is that it would be better to adopt something we might call “The Allen County Idea.” This too has worked well for years. They are mayor-council forms of government, varying because of the different sized cities, created according to the statutes that applied to them.
Humboldt has a mayor and eight council positions. Their council is elected from two wards: they fall below the population requiring four wards. The remaining seven cities of Allen County have a mayor and five council positions. They don’t have the population required to divide into wards. They get along quite well. Only Iola has stayed with the Texas Idea.
Lynn also opines that with nine people it would be difficult for Iola to act quickly and positively in response to queries from industries that may want to locate here. I presented a hypothetical situation to a city administrator, that serves in a nine-member mayor-council government, for information. The situation was “If some out of town industry called you or the mayor at 9 a.m. saying they may be interested in locating in your town if the council was willing to work with them, but wanted an answer by 4 p.m. that day. How long would it take for your people to get a quorum together and get an answer by the deadline?”
The answer: “State law requires a two hour notice if approved by the Mayor and three members of the City Council. In my example they could have an answer the same day.” Communications today make things happen.
Suppose our mayor appointed two councilpersons as a standing committee to keep in touch with Iola Industries, the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce and any other business oriented group. If a worthy opportunity came along, having a few more people involved is a positive, not a negative.
Yes, Iola is a single community but contingent neighborhoods electing representatives as a ward does not create an unproductive competition. It does give a neighborhood that has a concern not common to the city as a whole a representative voice on a legislative body. And that is why they could not be commissioners, according to statute. Commissioners are considered to be administrators. Administrators are bosses, not representatives.
Iolans don’t want a number of “bosses” added. Our April 2009 vote indicated they want eight representatives that will be responsive to possible divergent interests and a mayor able to work with their representatives to create solutions for the common good of Iola. This has proved to work for the best interests of the other cities of Allen County, and it will work for Iola.
Wards offer the possibility for more working people to serve in city government. Candidates who hold positions that receive a lot of public exposure have name recognition: a huge advantage in any campaign. Few neighborhood working people have this. The cost of advertising eliminates them before they start. At-large voting gives them no chance. Ward voting costs would be minimal. Flyers with information, costing no more than a dime, could be hand delivered to every home in a ward in a few hours time.
I firmly believe that the more neighborhood-representatives are involved in city government then the more neighborhood people will respond to the betterment of Iola.
Ray Shannon,
Iola, Kan.
