The Agenda for tonight’s meeting contains 22 items. Almost all of them in various degrees are
important. Hopefully that will be realized enough to warrant an attendance
larger than what can be counted one hand.
We have no doubt that the Mayor, and City Commission will dispatch 19 of
the agenda items in a competent professional manner. Competency is not in our
minds or probably in very many other resident’s minds the issue.
Agenda items 9, 14, and 15 however deserve extra scrutiny. Competency
by itself will not solve them or derive maximum benefit for the residents (if
that is indeed the goal) from such items. The society George Orwell described
in 1984 functioned competently.
By themselves Agenda items 9,14,and 15 by themselves are rather innocuous.
Recent events make them more significant.Last month our City Commission voted five to zero to replace
an annual election with a bi-annual election which will occur in odd year years
only. City Commission is the only elected office in the city. By reducing the
power of the people to vote the commission reduced its power as well. All three
of the agenda items on our list involve collateral damage from that decision
which the majority of the residents had no say in.
When it occurs no one really knows what will happen. In the
Bloomfield Hills School District none of the candidates can compete let alone
be heard over County, State, and National candidates spending 10 to 100 times
as much. One Candidate has said a May election would be divine and more than one has said they were
glad the school bond issue wasn’t thrown in to a fall presidential election
vortex.
The School Board got the May Bond election by paying for it.
Otherwise they had no choice since their elections are mandated by the state.
Our leaders chose a November election believing more people
would vote in odd years in November and money would be saved. Maybe they were
right. Maybe not. There will be
consequences. The City and its Government will change. And when it does the
importance of the individual will change.
Pay attention to language. The debasement of said is usually the first
indication. Orwell made that point in 1984 and Animal House. Read and listen
carefully to everything.
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