Democracy Inaction

Well this is it. The last installment of this series reviewing the proposed charter amendments to Knox County Government. (Though I may be back Monday for a little A la Carte action on some of the other issues on the ballot).

In this final installment we deal with changes to the Mayors office in Knox county. As we are all aware, the current Mayor is not exactly the worlds most popular guy. He's been hit with scandal after scandal and hasn't exactly been the picture perfect executive. These changes would make for some rather drastic increases in his and future mayor's influence over county government. Like with Question 3 (see the previous entry in the series) this amendment has multiple parts which I will address... now:

SAMPLE BALLOT

#1 We lose our right to vote for, but stand to gain a better run set of offices. Law Director, Trustee, County Clerk, and Register of Deeds all disappear as separate individually elected offices.

At first this is worrisome, I mean it's always better to have more people voting to hold individuals accountable. I believe that completely, I am a big fan of accountability in the system and having as many people in government constantly concerned that their positions are only temporary, because I think that's how it's supposed to work.

But we live also in a time of great transition in Knox County. It's not that I don't want to vote for my register of deeds, it's that #1 far to few know what these fee offices actually do (though that's not a good enough reason in and of itself) and #2 Knox county government needs to stream line.

We currently have, from my understanding, some of the longest and most complicated ballots in the country during our elections. There's always some new referendum on top of the 18 different offices that are up for election. With two governments the voters of Knox county need the chance to streamline a portion of their government if they feel so inclined.

These offices will become answerable to and appointed by the mayor, who will have hiring and firing ability. The mayor will be able to select those who operate many of the day to day positions, not unlike a the presidential cabinet, and will be able to fire them, subject to approval from the commission of a 2/3 majority. This provides a system of checks and balances and encourages wise choices from the mayor about who he would put in those positions.

#2 The position of County Auditor would be eliminated and a 6 year term for Inspector General would be created. This will provide a voice in the mayors office that can report truthfully about the internal workings of all departments without fear of reprisals or loss of job.

#3 In a similar way on the changes to County Commission there is a provision to add a conflict of interest clause, requiring the mayor and appointed staff to disclose when they stand to make personal gains from decisions they make in their positions as county officials.

Whew, I know that was alot, everybody take a deep breath.

It's a difficult situation we find ourselves in. There have been many upheavals in county government over the past two years and now we are continuing that trend by making some dramatic changes. There are portions of these changes that I am not crazy about, but overall the changes, I believe, are in the best interest of all Knox County residents and will enable us all to move froward with a stronger, more responsive, and better structured local government.

So for the final Charter Amendment the Pol says: