OCR Text |
Show PAGE 20 THE ZEPHYR APRIL 1992 re-organiz- ing a fact sheet the government citizens for Grand County by Ken Davey I WHERE AND WHEN some local residents, such as Norm Shrewsbury, looked at the controversies and canduded that the problem ran deeper than individual commissioners and their political outlooks. board that functioned as legislative and executive branch at the same time. They saw a Who made the laws? The commission. Who made sure the laws were carried out? The commission. Who checked to see if the commission was doing it right? The commission. There was no oversight, no one to challenge the commission, no checks to their power. And as was one commissioner Shrewsbury pointed out at the February 28 meeting, all that was needed law. was it to make a motion, another to second it, and With the diverse nature of Moab, with the different kinds of people with sometimes opposing interests, discussion, argument and compromise are needed to reach decisions in the best interest of fiie community, and those debates were simply not taking place in Grand County. The alternative? Look for a form of representation that can be more responsive. BUT FRIDAY evening, February 28, 1992. The meeting was supposed to take place in the Commission Chambers of the Grand County Courthouse, but even before the scheduled start time, it was obvious there would not be enough room, as the crowd overflowed out into the lobby and more people arrived each minute. After quick consultation, meeting organizers announced they were moving the event to Star Hall. So across the parking lot the crowd trooped, the first meeting of die organization that would later call itself Grand County Citizens for Better Government WHO "We are y our next door neighbors. Vie an your friends and acquaintances at work and at church. Many of us were bom and raised hen. Others have been hen a year or two, or five or ten years, to the Times Independent from Grand County Citizens for Better Government. etter WHICH ON hand were about 120 local residents. In many ways they represented the diversity that has characterized Moab over the past few years: there were longtime residents, retired and regulars at the senior citizens center; just a few seats away were the New Moab, younger couples, who've come to town in the past year or two to set up businesses. There were people involved in the Equestrian Center, in Travel Council activities. There were the usual political gadflies who seem attracted to any meeting where they could raise complaints. And there were people, dozens of them, who haven't taken part in any overt political activity in years, but felt the need to do something.' , - ( "I commission, S or 7. "-City on the Council member Dan Mick. are responsive and responsible to the people. But Tm not so sure the which may county needs a change in government in the sense of enlarging the number of commissioners, hn instead of Maynard. give us 7 problems 3."-Jo- . "I think the voters of this City and County need seriously to take a lock 5 Times Independent editorial by Sam Taylor. just by whomj at how they are governed (not "-- ? TO figure out how to change the form of county government . CACHE County, in the northern part of foe state, was the first and so for only Utah county to switch from the body. They did so in 1984, following a long history of conflicts between the county and the leaders of individual cities, including Logan. Hiey voted to move to council-typ- e of board, with foe chairperson receiving $1,500 per year, and the other a six members $1,200 per year. They also installed a county executive; paid $25,000 per year and elected to the job. As a provision, the voters gave the executive veto power over council decisions, but also gave the council the right, with five votes, to override any veto. And as a further check on individual power, they gave the executive the right to make appointments to county jobs, but reserved final approval of those appointments for the council. But .under state law, the county council form of government is just one option counties can choose. Voters can simply increase foe number of commission seats, to 5, or 7. Or they can have commissioners elected from districts, as is done in San Juan County. Or they can form an entirely new political entity, combining the government of Moab city with foe county, a consolidated form, or district seats. again with up to 7 members, and a choice of WHY "Most of us have never worked in politics before. But all of us agree that we cannot remain quiet and silently watch our community suffer while our current county gpvemptent refuses to listen to and work to the Times Independent from Grand County Citizens for Better for the people who elected them."-let- ter Government. checks-and-balanc- "Can we get some accountability? When you're in a position where you can do what you want to do, and there's no accountability, you keep doing it. How can we have same accountability, and not 3 years Ruth at February 28 meeting. down the road? "-- m THE meeting took place just days after the Grand County Commission voted to hire Robbie Swasey as Travel Council director, over the unanimous objections of all the members of the Travel Council board. Swasey, a longtime political supporter of commissioners Manuel Torres and David Knutson, did not have the same credentials for the job that the board choice. Bob Bailey, had; that fact was acknowledged by Knutson. But David stated that Swasey far better understood the direction and desires of the commission, and therefore should get the job. But the Travel Council controversy was just the final straw that pushed people into action: complaints of nepotism, favoritism, and ignoring public opinion have been leveled at the in 1990. And the complaints have commission since Torres was elected and Knutson not been limited to the traditional. Democratic-part- y opponents of the two. In fad, leading that commission concern was "out of touch" and growing the have Republicans expressed growing each month. more arrogant with passing And in a town where new people are arriving, setting up businesses, looking for ways to become active in dvic affairs, the commission seems to be retrenching, trusting only those they know agree with them, openly doubting the motives of those they haven't met. And in a time of rapid change, in a time when the future direction of the town is in doubt, that scared people. Commissioners dispute that view, saying they have the broad support of a majority of county residents, and they point to the election results 2 years ago, where Knutson and Torres both garnered more than 60 percent of the votes each. And they add, if people don't like what they are doing, the people can always vote them out of office. "This isn't a personal attack on a commissioner, or any public figure, present or past. But in my mind it represents a system I dont feel is working."-Gra- nd County Citizens for Better Government coordinator Norm Shrewsbury. es at-lar- ge . , "I'd really hesitate to stampede off into a new form of govemment..It's really hard to say, let's i Walker at February 28 meeting. this road here,' with foe gate dosed."-Jer- ry down , go i ' ' " AGENCY 259-649- 3 ' - CACHE County may have made a change, but no other Utah counties have. And foe city of Logan by itself is 5 times larger in population than Grand County as a whole. So even though county officials in Cache now say they would not go back to foe old system, that doesn't mean their successes would necessarily be repeated here. In addition. Cache made the transition, but not without fits and starts, and a number of errors. And state law says that once a change in county government is made, it must remain in effect for at least 6 years before it can again be altered. HOW PETITIONS must be circulated and signed by registered voters in the county. Hie total number of signatures must equal 15 percent of the votes recorded in foe county in the most recent election for governor, and that means 15 percent of foe people who voted in 1988, one of the highest turnouts ever in the county, due primarily to foe toxic waste incinerator referendum cm foe ballot that year. If and when the county clerk's office determines enough signatures have been obtained, the county commission has one month to look at foe plan and agree to submit it to the voters, either at the next general election, or at a special election wi thing 18 months. That means if the petition Meet Our Real Estate Team N 505 No. Main is more people "We need commissioners who ! WHAT ALL-AMERICA- dont know if we need a new form of government. But I believe what we need Doug McElhaney owner Delbert & Glenna Oliver Norma Nunn 259-687- 8 259-737- 0 259-727- 5 Ray Tibbetts 259-636- 1 Julie Bierschied Randy Day 259-567- 0 259-628- 3 V |