To the Editor,
In response to “Moss to council: Ignore ‘outside forces” published in the Daily Dispatch last Thursday I wonder if city manager Jerry Moss and others who respected the erroneous confidentially of his letter, remember that our local government is still a democracy.
Rather than confidentially lamenting the fact that “outside forces” influenced council voting Mr. Moss should, as a public official, rejoice that participatory democracy lives. If these outside forces were removed from political decisions we would indeed have the dictatorship mentioned by one concerned citizen during the last city council meeting. I remind Mr. Moss that as elected officials it is the duty of the council to take heed of the publics’ opinions. They were elected to represent us, not dictate to us. I further remind him that in a democracy everyone is politically connected with an equal right to be heard; it is our constitutional right
In regard to not asking about budget impact, I question if Mr. Moss took his own advice and asked about the impact the targeted funding reduction would have on jointly funded programs before he made his recommendation to withdraw 12.5% from them. He and the council certainly seemed unaware that the state would withdraw all if its funding from the public library if the reduction occurs as he recommends in the budget draft. Moreover, he continues to appear disinterested in the fate of the jointly funded programs should his misguided budgetary recommendation garner final approved.
I also wonder if Mr. Moss is aware that his confidential letter to the council is akin to a toddler’s temper tantrum. From the reported contents it seems clear he is quite put out that his budgetary recommendation was not immediately universally accepted and that he finds the 4-3 council vote rejecting the idea something more than vexing, but there you have it pesky democracy getting in the way. I second Councilman Davis’ question —if the vote had gone in favor of his recommendation, if Mr. Moss got his way, would he have written a letter admonishing the council to ignore outside forces?
It is time that some of the council members and Mr. Moss stop trying to conduct city business on their own terms behind a veil of confidentiality, closed sessions, and unauthorized agenda changes. It is also time to stop trying to force a flawed budget draft through to approval. As off putting as it may be to Mr. Moss, he should draft new options for the council’s consideration in order to achieve a balanced city budget of which the citizens of Henderson (aka outside forces) will approve. While doing so if he or any member of the council should need to review the electoral process, the constitution, or basic civics the public library has some wonderful books on the subject they could check out.
Alesia Stevenson
Henderson