Our Unresponsive Government

Unresponsive Government

Dated: 18 Nov 2008

Posted by admin

By Frank Schiavone

Call me a masochist. I routinely watch my city’s council meetings on cable television. Most of the time, they are uneventful. Sometimes, however, important projects are heard that have the community up in arms.

When these projects are on the agenda things get interesting. City staff give their report distilling reams of information into a few paragraphs. Silky-tongued consultants blather on about how exciting and transformative their client’s projects are. Parades of constituents plead their cases. The city attorney pronounces his legal opinion, making the issue seem mundane. After hearing all the “information”, council members “deliberate” the issue with each giving an indication about how they will vote. If I were a betting man, I would bet the project opponents don’t have a snowball’s chance …they don’t. The uprising is quelled and the peasantry is put in its place.

Now, not all projects are controversial. Most are approved with nary a murmur. But some are just plain dubious. The most recent example of this is the so-called “strawberry patch project”. The project was proposed with 75 condos, 23 single-family homes, and an office building. The “strawberry patch” on Foothill Blvd is not 40 acres. It is not 20 acres. It’s a whopping 10 acres. My city does not consider the project too dense. The residents who are impacted by this project disagreed, organized, and made their feelings known. They were under no illusions that the property would remain a strawberry patch. They simply wanted the project scaled back. Seemed reasonable.

Too bad, their sentiment fell on deaf ears. Betting that their vociferous public comments would have any real effect was a sucker’s bet. Opponents were told to be thankful – it could have been worse.

Aside from one project that I was personally involved in, I know of no time when our City has sided with the community. How can this be? How did we get to this point and why are our elected officials so unresponsive? Well, local governments are pro-growth and are addicted to the money that all this development brings. But that’s not the whole answer.

Recently, I was asked if council members were “bought and sold”. No, I do not believe that for a second. What I do believe, however, is that powerful commercial interests have a disproportionate influence on them and have virtually unfettered access to the “inner workings” of government. Simply, money controls the conversation. Who do we think pay for all those silly signs plastered on every major street corner during elections?

Our leaders seem to have forgotten who they work for because we do not hold them ccountable. No one respects public service more than I do, but our leaders need to be reminded that they are the people’s representatives. That’s why they are called public servants. They are holders of the public trust – a covenant to act honorably and in our best interests.

We are a tolerant bunch. We keep returning the same folks to office no matter how many times they tell us to take a hike. We are also a tad schizophrenic. We elect developers, real estate investors, and candidates that are openly antagonistic towards the environment. Then we complain about sprawl, traffic congestion, and disappearing open space. I guess we should all be grateful that we now have a Pottery Barn and a Bass Pro Shop. What more could you ever ask for?

As painful as those council meetings are, we need to keep an eye on our leaders and the decisions they make. I also think it wouldn’t hurt to have some alternate voices represented on our city councils. Holding hands and singing kumbaya may make their jobs a whole lot easier but it may not be the best way to make decisions. Sometimes a little deliberation, heated debate, disagreement, and healthy doubt are good things (I sometimes wonder if council members have ever read an Environmental Impact Report).

Let’s face it; local decision-making changes people’s lives – not only for the good. It does make a difference who we elect. Each of us has a duty to vote and to voice our dissent, fundamental rights that were bought with the blood of our forefathers. This may sound corny but we seem to have forgotten what citizenship means. We’ve shirked our responsibility and are paying the price. Government has gotten away from us and has been turned on its head. It no longer exists to serve us. We exist to serve it.

That’s not exactly what our founding fathers had in mind.