February 07, 2004
Saturday

To Ketchikan Charter Commission:


I believe the current practice of appointment to vacant positions on the Ketchikan City Council and Borough Assembly needs serious review and change. If a new charter is approved I believe this problem needs to be corrected.

The current practice of appointing members bypasses the rights of citizens to elect who we want to represent us. Usually a former member, a crony, or someone who was defeated for election is appointed and there is little chance of seeing a new person with fresh ideas. Only the voters should decide who serves on the assembly or as Mayor.

Often a critical vote comes before the Assembly or Council and it could be decided by a single member who was not voted into office. Do we want our taxes increased by someone like this who does not represent us?

I found a recent appointment to the City Council to be a typical example of the problem. Yes, citizens might have the right to launch a recall effort to void this appointment, but a special election would be the fair and reasonable way to solve the issue.

The reasonable solution to this problem is to hold a special election to fill vacancies that occur more than 8 months before the next regular election. If the vacancy occurs less than 8 months before an election, the position should remain vacant until the regular election. Yes, there could be a tie vote with a vacant position, but the Mayor is elected and can vote to break a tie.

Yes, there would be extra cost for a special election, but I think it is money wisely spent. I object to appointed members being allowed to decide important decisions such as the amount of taxes we are forced to pay.

Sincerely,

Robert D. Warner
Ketchikan, AK