Well I've been pretty silent recently on affairs political (excepting of course red light cameras which is not a political issue but moral), but today that changes.
This latest dust up about Bill Lockett, the County Law Director, and whether or not he should step down has flared up my anti-dual government system again. It's just the latest in a long list of examples of how this inefficient and unnecessary system creates unneeded distractions and drama for the people of Knoxville
I've run for county commission as some of you may remember. I took 3% of the vote in the 1st district as a write in candidate and was involved in a number of debates. During that time I discussed my desire to see a metro style government develop in Knoxville. Here again is more evidence that this should be the case.
First it was the ousting of county commissioners because of the sunshine law, then removing the appointed replacements, then it was Mayor Ragsdale and p-cards, Now it's the Law Director and taking money, could someone please tell me what these people do for us besides create scandal.
While running for commission I tried and tried to find out what county commission did that was so important, I never could find anything. We're paying for them to cause problems, as best I can understand it, and I cause enough problems in my own life that I feel I don't need to pay others to do the same.
The reality is, the city government does alot more real day to day governing, and alot less dramaticizing. One system works the other doesn't. Let's please grow up and move on ahead with the business at hand and let these clearly irresponsible people go back to only being irresponsible on their own time, not ours.
There, now I've said my peace.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Weekend Editorial
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5 comments:
preach it, pol!
One system works the other doesn't.The fatal flaw in your plan is that the system that works gets eliminated, leaving everything in the hands of the system that doesn't.
If my very limited understanding of Knox history is anything near accurate, Knoxville has in the past used annexation to maintain its tax base when the downtown area began to deteriorate some decades ago.
Some municipal entities (Farragut stands out as a prime example, as Knoxville's suburban sprawl is glaringly apparent in the Westward quarter) have put up a determined fight against annexation, feeling that a metro style government would not be appropriately representative of their community's individual characteristics.
The dual system, from what I can tell, is highly likely to stay, despite its inherent inefficiencies, as long as communities outside the scope of the city limits value their autonomy.
One would be quite unlikely to find a polity more protective of autonomy, it could be argued, than in East Tennessee.
The style of government doesn't matter much if the people elected to it continue to be of poor character. Having lived in Nashville during the early part of this decade, I can attest that a metro government is not immune to bad policy, ethical shortcomings, and poor governing as well. Peruse The Tennessean's archives sometime. Besides, as I understand it the last metro proposal in this area back in 96 or so would have actually shut down the city and folded into the county...that's definitely not what is needed here.
The agent for good governence is the educated voter in my opinion.
I used to think I was in favor of metro government, as a county resident that loves the city. But then I realized that metro government would give county voters a say in city government. Considering the kind of politicians they like to vote for (Stacey Campfield, Greg Lambert), I really doubt it would change things for the better. At the very least, it would shift the city government in a more anti-downtown, anti-historic preservation, and pro-suburban development direction.
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