Alternative modes of governing
on February 17th, 2012 at 8:00 am
The lethargy and lack of vision of the Galesburg City Council is pretty clear for all to see with the exceptions of the two newest aldermen: Peter Schwartzman and Jeremy Karlin. Both of these gentlemen ran for city council last year because they wanted to implement change in Galesburg while the remainder of the city council seems devoted to preventing exactly that. The manifest frustration of both men is equally clear to witness at each and every meeting.
Some aldermen, like Ken Goad, Russell Fleming and Wayne Allen, are content to oversee the continued deterioration of city infrastructure and erosion of city services all in the misplaced aim of reducing the city tax burden. In the cases of Goad and Allen they also appear totally incapable of understanding even the simplest financial concepts as they relate to city finances or budgeting while Fleming is no such fool. In Fleming’s case he is a true Libertarian who believes that government should play as small a role as possible in people’s lives.
Alderman Wayne Dennis better appreciates the important role that can be played by government and the need to fund infrastructure and services but his good judgment is frequently clouded by desire to please every constituent and the erroneous assumption that the loudest voices are always representative of the majority of his constituents. His best instincts are too often undone by the constant vocal minority that oppose nearly all city expenditures or new initiatives.
Finally we have Alderwoman Corine Anderson. Like Schwartzman and Karlin she genuinely appears to understand the need for change and investment by the city but she is easily bullied and intimidated by some of the others. And, it is easy to fall prey to counter arguments against new taxes and fees, however necessary they may be, when you understand in your heart that many of your constituents are among the least able to bear the burden of these costs.
Getting something new done in the city is incredibly difficult under these conditions, particularly when you add a mayor with delusional political ambitions of his own and a fear of being overshadowed by his colleagues on the city council. Under the city manager form of government the mayor has very limited official powers and in fact should wield less statutory control over city operations than the aldermen. However, the mayor has near total control of city council meetings and the agenda for those meetings. In this way he can block or delay discussion of items he is not interested in pursuing. The mayor can also pick and choose who he will recognize at those meetings and how discussion is conducted.
So right now as our city faces a multitude of critical issues and decision points and a budget more fanciful than real the immediate need for prioritizing goals and objectives for the city is of manifest importance yet is being treated like a game without rules or supervision. The current year’s budget is not really in balance and the inability of some aldermen to comprehend how city finances work leads them to continually proposing counterproductive adjustments that pretend that unavoidable expenses can be avoided or delayed without incurring even higher costs for the taxpayers.
Real goal setting right now is necessary to distinguish necessary city services and infrastructure from merely desirable city services and infrastructure and the realistic prioritizing of the latter. Doing the absolute minimum to keep the city operational may appear to be desirable to those who disdain paying any taxes or fees but ultimately this approach will only continue or hasten the downward trajectory of Galesburg. This will necessarily be a painful process that cannot possibly please everyone but we no longer can afford the time to continue doing nothing.
If there is to be a future for Galesburg we need to not only regain real control over the city budget by setting realistic spending and revenue approaches — but we also need to schedule and prioritize goals for improving city services and infrastructure to make Galesburg a more attractive place to live and work.
This will not happen by accident or dumb luck and increasing revenues is unavoidable. But this also will not happen unless the existing Galesburg City Council members change their approach to governing or Galesburg voters change their membership just over one year from now.
Continued delays don’t make these tough decisions easier and they simply increase the costs of the necessary changes.
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Time to get some more new faces and new ideas there, eh?
I believe Ms. Anderson has also tried. We need one more progressive.
The only realistic hope for the current Galesburg City Council accomplishing any positive change rests upon Wayne Dennis and Corine Anderson partnering with Peter Schwartzman and Jeremy Karlin. Together these four votes should be enough to convince mayor Sal Garza of the need to be more responsive and agile at implementing change over the obstructionism of Ken Goad and Wayne Allen.
There is a need to first develop a realistic budget that fully funds employee pensions and the various building, equipment and vehicle replacement funds (responsibly raising the additional revenues as necessary). Then begin evaluating projects for the improvement of Galesburg promising the best bang for the taxpayers’ buck.
A good place to start would be a much beefed-up program of sidewalk, street and sewer maintenance. Having beautiful bridges to circumvent train traffic accomplishes little if the rest of Galesburg’s streets are not responsibly and cost effectively maintained.
Would someone answer me one question.
What have Schwartzman and Karlin done, that is innovative and progressive??
What idea have they presented that is forward thinking?? What have they said that makes them smarter than the others???
I watch or attend council meetings, and I haven’t heard them bring up one thing new or innovative. I want one specific item??
Bike paths are a resurrected idea. An ongoing discussion for years and years.
Wind Mills are not new, and neither are farmers markets and gardens, all have been discussed for years. The “youth” idea has been a topic in Galesburg for ages, too, that’s why we have a youth commission. Loads of people working with youth in this town if you get out and look for them, I am sure they would glady take Knox volunteers, too, if they want to step up!
The Mayor, has political ambitions, so what!! How do you think we get political leaders, they just have aha moments.… while making pizzas and babies one day, and run for office. If Mayor Garza moves up politically, he will have experience from being a Mayor that could give voters confidence he knows what he is doing.…that’s the way it works people.
You don’t think that this year, we are going to see political posturing from every single politician vieing for a job in government. Its been happening all over the country for months (year) now. I hope Garza sticks around, we need rational people on our council. Oh, now I get it, its rational thinking thats dull and boring. Realistic ideas, that seem to lack innovation. Oh well, dreamers are necessary, but so are people who keep dreamers in check. We need both, and have both, and that is our good fortune.
“Rational” people have kept the dreamers in check for too long in this country. It’s time for dreams to run amok. Sorry, but I woke up on the surrealist side of the bed this morning. Underneath, the pink banana tendon side.
Didn’t answer my question Joel…you tell me one idea that is new and innovative.…..bike paths, not! (1980’s) Turbines and alternative energy, not! (around for years) Gardens been around since the 70’s, not!(big deal in urban areas) Trollies, (tee hee, I don’t see that in the articles anywhere), not! When you pick up someone’s old dusty idea, shake it off, and present it as your own, its not innovative, it copy catting. Decriminalizing Marijuana is a revisted idea.
Even the goal setting idea of Mr. Karlins is old, its D. Bragg’s visioning sessions revisited. (That man was truly smart). So again, Rational people seem to be the one’s actually making things happen, the dreamers are just copying off of their papers. (Disclaimer…I don’t personally dislike Mr. Karlin, I just am commenting on the inflated idea that he and Schwartzman are uber– innovative) I have been in this town for over 40 years, and I haven’t seen one new idea in the last 10 months. NOT one…the Library has been discussed for 25 years…not even that is new.
Dreamers aren’t impressing me at all…come up with something truly new…and affective…and then you get your pat on the head, until then its just hype. If you think for yourself, and listen to what is being said, know the facts..you can’t be so easily fooled.
And Gwen, what you DIDN’T do, is come up with something new yourself. You’re quite good at putting others down, for not coming up with some great new idea. Where’s yours? An all-conservative Galesburg City Council may be a dream of yours, but it sure wouldn’t take us toward a positive future. We’re waiting, Gwen, for a great new original idea from… you.