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Show PAGE 4 THE ZEFHYRMARCH 1993 acts & Opinions a summary of the month's news by Ken Davey tie-i- FACT The Moab Qty Council is looking into separating the mayor and administrator positions, and hiring a city manager. At their February 16 meeting, the council agreed to a future meeting with Salt Lake attorney David Church to discuss die legal implications of the change. OPINION Right now, the mayor is an elected position. But the responsibilities of a mayor are limited to chairing meetings, voting on council decisions only to break a tie, representing the city at ceremonial events, and a handful of other duties generally subordinate to the city council. The real power of the mayor crates not from that office, but from being the city administrator. The administrator is the boss of all city workers, has the power to hire and fire, directs the activities of the planning department public works, the police, the city hall staff. i Last year, city council member David Biersdiied made an effort to strip Tom Stocks of that administrative power. But Biersdiied was unable, when it came time to take action, to get the backing of die rest of the council, and the move failed. This time around, the movement appears to have more strength. So far, the two council members who have publicly called for examining the possible change are Terry Warner and Paul Seibert, and, at least at the February 16 meeting, both acted as if they believed they had support among the other 3 members. Coming just 8 months before the munidpal elections that will choose a mayor as well as two council members, this is the most serious challenge to Stocks' political future, and though he has weathered those in the past and actually emerged stronger, it doesn't look as good this time around. Stocks, if he runs again, will be seeking a fourth straight term. Over that time he has accumulated a number of political enemies, who every four years confidently predict this time, it's the end for Tom. But Stocks has also built up some solid political support, and on election night they've always come through for him. The dty coundl was ready to go into executive session to discuss the question, until Stocks said, no, he wanted it done out in file open. And that is where the discussion belongs. One coundl member made a reference to not wanting to show "dirty linen" in public There is a legitimate reasons for executive;, or dosed, sessions, where average dtizens are not allowed, and discussing the individual strengths and weaknesses of dty employees is one of them. But that's not the case here. Same council members were angry at how Tom carried out relations with Allen Memorial Hospital, on the question of supplying water to temporary offices for the new doctor in town. That is an issue of political outlook, direction, and policy, an issue that dty residents should not only NOT be banned from hearing, but actively encouraged to take part in. It DOES mean that dty coundl members will be farced to take portions in public that they will be hdd responsible for. And that's is how it should be. If dty council members want to take political action against Tom, or take any kind of political action, they owe it to the public to do it in the open. FACT On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the Board of Education looked for and received input from the public on how to design and what to indude in plans for their acre pared of land to the east of file high school. The district purchased file property last year, as part of an effort to look at future expansion needs. Right now, the district sees more high school dassroom space as a top priority, along with the need to construct a new middle school, to replace the old and inadequate structure on 40-ph- r the ideas and programs of a wide variety are, the board has made a conscious effort to indude of community sectors. Ideas ranging from building a recreation center and indoor pool to been suggested considered, and integrated establishing a community nursery and garden have into initial school district designs. One suggestion, constructing a community library that could serve both the schools and because of opposition from library county residents, has been dropped from the plans, reportedly board members. I hope that is not the case, because the library suggestion is one the best, and most valuable, of all the ideas raised A public library is more than a collection of books; it is a community's commitment to forces with the school district, our knowledge and the pursuit of education. And by combining in information to access ways beyond our imagination. public library could expand our to The schools here have made a commitment computer technology, and right now more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of hardware is being installed right now, with more to come. By sharing a library with the schools, we could all gain access to that technology, including to the University of Utah library, and data bases of all kinds, throughout the nation. Instead of seeing just a copy of the Salt Lake Tribune, we can peruse, on a daily basis, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, file Associated Press news wire. Instead of dozens of periodicals, we would be able to read thousands. By combining book purchasing power and splitting file cost of some needed volumes, thousands of dollars worth of new volumes could be obtained that neither library could afford to obtain on its own. By sharing staffing expenses, the library could remain open for more hours and a lower total cost to file public. And both the library and the schools could in the process help other entities that we need and pay for. At this moment, both the fire department and the Dan O' Laurie Museum are looking at major financial commitments for future expansion, and the current library site is located right next to both of them. By moving the library site to the school property, the museum and the department could save possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars between them by using that land. There are just too many good reasons to indude a community library in the school district land plans, and no compelling arguments against it. A public library serves a different function than a school library, and there could be some space and scheduling conflicts, but none that can't be resolved. We have a chance to take a giant leap forward in educational opportunity not only for our students, but for every resident of file county, and we should make sure we don't let it slip away. is Center Street But rather than go off on their own, the school board dedded to involve others in their planning, and invited residents to recommend other community projects that could be included on their land FACT Following negative reaction at a public hearing and a shower of hostile letters and advertisements, the Moab Qty Council voted 1 against an ordinance to ban the placement of mobile homes built before 1976 within dty limits. The proposed law would have affected only mobile homes brought into the dty in the future, and would not have restricted trailers already placed within dty limit The ordinance was requested by the building inspector, who told the council that trailers built before that date were not required to face any form of national construction standards. The inspector stated that in recent months mobile home park operators had been moving into town older, possibly unsafe units as rental properties. He added that because mobile homes arrive in town already constructed, he has no way short of tearing them apart to determine if electrical wiring and other construction aspects meet code and existing safety requirements. But the response from the public has been universally negative. "I feel if the land owners in Moab want the Qty to dictate to them what they can or cannot have on their land, that is one thing, but to tell licensed mobile home parks or subdivisions that no one can move into their businesses unless their mobile homes were built after July 16, 1976 is wrong. That is the right of the Mobile Home Park owner to set their own rules not the dty," wrote a mobile home park manager in the February 11 "These aesthetic fasdsts are trying to force out our neighbors of lesser means," wrote a county resident in a paid ad in the weekly Advertiser. Hie final dty council vote was four against the proposal, induding Bill McDougald, Dan Mick, Dave Sakrison, and Terry Warner. The only vote in favor of the proposed ordinance was former building inspector Paul Seibert 4-- Times-Independe- OPINION It is too bad that dty council members, dected to look out for the interests of all the residents of Moab, would decide to ignore their own staff and accept the arguments of a small group of local business owners, and others who investigated what the proposed law said. It was a safety question, not an effort by staff to impose visual or personal standards on anybody's property. Qty employees are told by the dty coundl to look at and recommend what they believe are necessary, not nice or preferable, but necessary, rules and to improve the quality of life of all of us. If those employees cannot count on dected regulations officials to bade them, they will, eventually, stop trying to do their jobs. Let's hope that the current batch of employees show more loyalty to their job descriptions than the dty coundl shows to its employees. profit-motivat- ed FACT OPINION 89050 QUiliROSTi imtmUfSatA THE BEST AND (FLY mfm& pggapBB 259:2032259:8545 i OPENING MARCH 1 9 ns BUFGEPSIN 75MLES- - |