I have seen a recent constituent letter from a new Greenfield city councilor who says that when voters seek the right to petition government to present a new idea, that it’s an “obstruction of the process.” This is an idea that also surfaced during the Charter Review Committee discussions. Citizens were called a “third branch of government,” who would “slow down” the wheels of progress.
The idea that voters are an “unelected interest group” is a dangerous line of thought. I picture the unwashed masses gathering at the gates of government with pitchforks in their hands. The reality in our little town is that many people think the City Council prefers to circle its wagons rather than engage in a meaningful discussion with the people who elected them. The citizens created our government. Public servants answer to the people and are not to ignore and run roughshod over them.
Referendums and initiatives are an important part of our city charter. Instead of fighting off efforts to make these tools harder for voters to use, we should be debating how to make our town more productive and efficient. I urge the City Council to come up with a compromise on citizen initiatives that shortens the process, and makes the number of signatures needed closer to what we have already decided for citizen referendums. There is no need to increase this number unless your goal is to ignore your oaths of office. Don’t push us away. Don’t say we are ‘obstructing’ democracy — we have a constitutional republic and the peoples’ rights are first and foremost. Public servants work for the people and are charged to protect the rights of the people, in this case, the right to redress of grievances. The people fund everything; therefore we own everything. Public servants rightfully serve at our pleasure. Your day of reckoning is approaching. Choose wisely.
Ellen Thompson
Greenfield