OCR Text |
Show PAGE 4 THE ZEFHYRDECEMBER 1993 Facts and Opinions a summary of the month's nexus. by Ken Davey the interests of the public, people to remove from office those they feel are working against recall to be, in the consider officials elected should be preserved. It is no surprise that upstate a It idea." isnt shodc to find out words of council chairman Charlie Peterson, "a really dumb that the Utah Association of Counties, made up of county commissioners throughout die state, is four square against any recall. And it is also no surprise that in virtually every instance across the country where voters have a chance to, by referendum, approve recall, they da When it comes to a conflict between a government and its people, the more farsighted the people can political leaders will invariably come down on the side of the people, not because of heart the is because it be but never democracy. simply wrong, The county council will make some changes in the recall provisions. But the one provirion they should leave intact is the requirement of having to gather on a recall petition signatures of the totaling 15 percent of die voters. That number reflects both a significant percent recalls will that future chance a is there Yes, for and allows minority representation. population, was of the felt who also But there were government be held for stupid reasons. change many, an absolutely idiotic idea. But the law allowed 15 percent of the voters here to put it on the ballot, and it has proven to be a tremendous advance for local government There were many who felt the referendum to prohibit a toxic waste incinerator in Cisco was a case of dangerous meddling by small minority. But the law allowed 15 percent of the voters to get it on the ballot, and again it's proven to be good in the long run for the county. It is permissible, and probably necessary, for the county council to look at the recall provision and adopt amendments that smooth out some of the more disruptive aspects. But that can be done without gutting recall altogether. And I'm confident the council can recognize the difference. FACT The Grand County Council will hold a public hearing December 14 to discuss a proposed resolution that will make recalling council members more difficult in the future. Saying that recall efforts can disrupt the functioning of government, council members are 15 looking at raising the minimum number of signatures needed to force a recall election from to 30 percent of the number of voters in the most recent governor's election. The resolution also limits the number of council members who can be recalled to only 2 at any one time, and prohibits a second recall effort against a council member within one year of an unsuccessful attempt. Right now, recall petitions can circulate for an unlimited amount of time. The resolution sets a 60 day period for the circulation and submission of the petitions. FACT The Grand County Travel Council has proposed a 1994 budget that shifts some expenditures away from promotional activity and toward infrastructure needs of the county. The Travel Council receives transient room tax, charged to guests at local motels, bed and breakfasts and other overnight accommodations. Next year, if the budget is approved by the council, some of that cash will go to areas previously funded out of the county's general fund, inducting the Film Commission, the Dan O Laurie Museum, and the Search and Rescue team. OPINION The Travel Council was urged on (in the minds of some Travel Council members, directed) to make the new allocations by county council members, who are facing a difficult financial picture themselves this year, and are looking at the transient room tax as a source of revenue (estimated to exceed $400,000 next year) that can relieve the burden on local property taxpayers. The Travel Coundl can also expect some flak from some in the tourist industry, who have looked on the transient room tax as a sort of personal advertising budget in the past. But the travel council docs not work for the travel industry; it works for all of us. And its budget for 1994 is a reflection of its own recognition of that fact. How much is spent on tourist promotion has got to be based on what' s good for the town as a whole, not what's best for motel owners and tour operators. Increased visitation does bring more money into the community. It also brings higher costs for those who live here, from increased property taxes to more costs associated with expanding infrastructure. The Travel Council is now, for the first time, balancing those needs, and they should be encouraged to keep it up. This is not an argument over promoting or discouraging OPINION The county council should think long and hard before screwing around with the change of government plan approved by voters one year ago, the document that made possible recall and gives Crand County residents a power no other voters in Utah have. That won't be easy for them to da They believe the recall effort launched against six of them, an effort that failed in all six cases, was an abuse of the process that prevented them from concentrating their efforts on the real problems and needs of the county. And many, certainly a big majority of their supporters and the more rational segment of the local population, will agree with them. The arguments presented for recall were more often than not outright falsehoods, and in the other cases simply expositions of political differences, not valid reasons to remove someone from office. And, luckily, thy majority of residents in the county also agreed with them, and voted the recalls down by about a 2 margin. Council members point to the ridiculous but very real possibility of their opponents launching another recall immediately, resulting in another recall election in January or February, and if that fails, doing it again in March or April They note that if and when a majority of the council IS recalled, the county's governing body will cease to exist until the governor makes appointments to fill the vacant terms. They decry the waste of precious county resources on special elections that could occur over and over and over. It's quite a combination, a council that on the whole supports major changes in the recall provisions, and an electorate that agrees. It is hard to expect politicians to not move forward as fast and as decisively as they can. For the old county commission, it would have been a k that make it more difficult to recall in the future and move on. certainty: approve changes But. We expect more from the county council, as we have expected more from them beginning the day they took office. We want them to be thinking more of the future, not just through the next few weeks or months, not just through the end of their terms, but through future yearn, into the next decade. And when tested, they have proven to be worthy of those higher expectations. The purpose of recall is to give citizens more accountability from their government. When officials show themselves to be out of touch with their constituents, when government actions run contrary to demonstrable needs and desires of the citizens, recall provides a way to force the government back in line. Yes, it can be abused, and there should be some provisions to prevent it from wholesale disruption of the political process. But the core of recall, the ability of the 3-- DON slam-dun- 51NorthMain MoabJUtah 84532 KAY SWASEY Jewelry Jurquoisc DmosaurBone oflarrigam o JcwelrReDairs Olt ome Brewing Supplies ommeaiminxtfh Custom Orders Welcome S si r SiCo&ne !4thTEf;&?MiIllCneekrPriv259-69t9.- 9 Melody, get Dave really out the Easter loves eggs... baskets, the colored dye, MERRY CHRISTMAS and all those little bunnies. from Dave's Corner Market. & |