Local Partisan Politics in the Future?
I attended a very interesting City Charter Commission meeting earlier tonight.
In an effort to be prepared for the future, Commission Chair, Randy Staver, attempted to lead the commision in a discussion concerning our future role as a “city of the first class”, a status reached and recognized by the State of Minnesota when a city’s population rises over the 100,000 mark. The biggest concern over this change is the requirement for the mayor and city council to declare their political party affiliation and run a partisan election.
Or not!
Duluth had chosen to pass an ordinance that declared their non-partisan preference and so do not follow the state policy recommendation.
It was clarified by our esteemed assistant city attorney, Mr. Goslee, that even should Rochester reach the 100,000 population mark in two years we would not be recognized until the official 2010 census results were reported and then after the State “officially” recognized our status. So it looks like we’re about 6 years too early to seriously look at the matter.
But it makes for an interesting discussion and I wonder what you think.
I was asked my opinion and simply stated I just wonder what the benefit would be to the citizens of Rochester and especially my constituents in the Fifth Ward. How would this help me be a better representative of the people who elected me to serve? I also wondered what this might do to my ability to “lobby” with our state representatives and senators. Today, I am completely autonomous, non-partisan, and independent and so their listening to my point of view is purely that of what’s best (in my opinion) for Rochester and is not reflective of my political party which may be the opposite of theirs.
What do you think? (Just in case we’ll both be around to consider this when the time comes.)
In an effort to be prepared for the future, Commission Chair, Randy Staver, attempted to lead the commision in a discussion concerning our future role as a “city of the first class”, a status reached and recognized by the State of Minnesota when a city’s population rises over the 100,000 mark. The biggest concern over this change is the requirement for the mayor and city council to declare their political party affiliation and run a partisan election.
Or not!
Duluth had chosen to pass an ordinance that declared their non-partisan preference and so do not follow the state policy recommendation.
It was clarified by our esteemed assistant city attorney, Mr. Goslee, that even should Rochester reach the 100,000 population mark in two years we would not be recognized until the official 2010 census results were reported and then after the State “officially” recognized our status. So it looks like we’re about 6 years too early to seriously look at the matter.
But it makes for an interesting discussion and I wonder what you think.
I was asked my opinion and simply stated I just wonder what the benefit would be to the citizens of Rochester and especially my constituents in the Fifth Ward. How would this help me be a better representative of the people who elected me to serve? I also wondered what this might do to my ability to “lobby” with our state representatives and senators. Today, I am completely autonomous, non-partisan, and independent and so their listening to my point of view is purely that of what’s best (in my opinion) for Rochester and is not reflective of my political party which may be the opposite of theirs.
What do you think? (Just in case we’ll both be around to consider this when the time comes.)
posted by Bob Nowicki | 10:44 PM
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