Redlands voters may get to start choosing the city’s mayor, and City Council members want to hear what residents think about that proposal.
At the meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 15, council members debated what was the fairest and most equitable way to choose a mayor. Though several ideas were proposed, all agreed they wanted to hear more from the public before making a final decision.
In Redlands, when election winners are sworn in, the fresh council usually chooses a mayor and mayor pro tem from its ranks for the year. Other cities ask voters to elect a mayor.
Councilwoman Denise Davis said the process in Redlands has not changed significantly since at least 1955, and suggested a rotating system would be more equitable and would deconcentrate power. It would also be more transparent and avoid randomness, she said.
The city had received 27 public comments on the proposal, the majority of them in support of Davis’ proposal.
Noting the public input and the fact that all the leaders at the dais have now been chosen by district, Davis said “there is a great desire for residents all over the city to see their elected representative in these leadership positions, and to truly feel like power isn’t concentrated in one area.”
Her proposal was to rotate the position by district number each year.
Davis noted that since 1888 the city has only had three women serve as mayor.
“One more reason to move towards this one-year model is that our leadership will have the opportunity to rotate frequently, which helps to ensure that the diversity of the leadership better matches the population we’re representing,” Davis said.
Paul Foster, who has been chosen by his colleagues to serve as mayor for the past five years, offered other options such as allowing voters to choose who fills the seat.
“The most inclusive way to select a mayor is for every voter to be part,” Foster said, “… not the members of the City Council (choosing), not a rotational basis.”
Foster suggested the council ask staff to prepare a report on the steps to bring a measure in front of voters in November 2022 to see if they want to elect a mayor.
If voters approve, the council districts could be re-drawn from five to four, and the at-large position of mayor would be up for election in 2024.
This process, Foster said, would give Redlands voters “the fullest voice.”
Foster also offered modifications to Davis’ rotation proposal such as starting with a random draw of a district number.
If a random draw was chosen, he suggested the city’s newest council member Jenna Guzman-Lowery, who was sworn in that night, not be included, “so that she is not instantly thrust into the mayor’s role in her first year on the City Council.”
He also suggested that he himself be excluded as well “because I have had my opportunity to serve in this position, nor am I interested in serving in it again.”
Foster also suggested the position could be selected in order of seniority, or that the rotation could be for longer than one year, as it “doesn’t necessarily give people enough time to really get seasoned in the job.”
Foster also noted “frankly, there are members of councils that should not be the mayor, and if you look around at cities in our nearby area, there are examples of where certain individuals were put into that job and the city was embarrassed about having them, simply because they have a rotating system.”
Putting the decision off until the next meeting will give council members a chance to consult with constituents, he added.
Foster said after receiving more than 200 phone calls and emails he learned “the public wants an opportunity to have a say about who becomes their next mayor and mayor pro tem in an elected fashion down the road.”
Councilman Paul Barich said he favored the rotation, but wanted to hear more from the public.
Councilman Eddie Tejeda said he supported keeping the system as it is.
“As councilmembers, we hold each other accountable,” Tejeda said. “The reason why people see one person serving multiple terms (as mayor) is because we know the performances of the person doing the job.”
The public doesn’t get to see all the behind-the-scenes work each council member does, he said.
Guzman-Lowery was open to allowing the public more time to comment, but also noted “it matters, it absolutely matters to people in the community to be able to see what is possible in terms of representation and leadership.”
Davis agreed the public deserves a chance to comment on Foster’s new proposal to have a voter-elected mayor, which was first brought up that night.
“I think it’s incredibly important to bring diverse voices to the table, but not just to bring them to the table, but to lift those voices and to give them a chance to lead,” Davis said.
Staff will bring back a full proposal for a voter-elected mayor, and more information on other versions of the rotation at the next meeting, set for Jan. 19.
Contact information for council members is available at cityofredlands.org/city-council.
"want" - Google News
December 19, 2020 at 07:28AM
https://ift.tt/3myo1N5
Want to vote for mayor? Tell your Redlands council member - Press-Enterprise
"want" - Google News
https://ift.tt/31yeVa2
https://ift.tt/2YsHiXz
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Want to vote for mayor? Tell your Redlands council member - Press-Enterprise"
Post a Comment