Observations from the candidate forum

Nick Lewis
Register Publisher

May 03, 2008 11:27 pm

— It was apparent to me the most important thing to come out of the candidate forum was the nature of the questions submitted by the citizens because they are concerned about where the city is going and who is providing the leadership. They are concerned about transparency of commission’s conduct, smart growth and consolidated 911.
This is not surprising given the recent actions by the current city commission on two controversial areas : 911, and their conduct regarding government transparency.
Transparency is critical to operating a completely open and honest government. All of the incumbents defended themselves and said they felt they have done a good job. Most of them believe they are more transparent than they ever have been and that may very well be true. However, based on the number of questions regarding transparency, citizens don’t seem to see it that way, and that’s all that matters.
Whether the incumbents are fortunate enough to be elected again or if some of the challengers are elected, they all must remember and realize citizen expectations have changed significantly.
Citizens want complete honesty, openness, consistency and fairness from their city commissioners — something the current city commission has done a poor job at, especially with the Camp Catalpa fiasco.
This issue, more than any in the past, identifies the many weaknesses of the current city commission, with leadership being the most important.
In answering a question regarding commission’s conduct and allowing citizens to speak at meetings, I believe it was Commissioner Robert Blythe who responded with “there are rules that we must follow regarding this.”
Although this is true, they are in hot water because they haven’t followed those rules. The Sunday alcohol vote and the Camp Catalpa vote are just two recent examples.
Furthermore, following the policies of the open meeting law have also been ignored. It is clearly stated in the law that only agenda items are to be discussed at commission meetings and nothing else. In the past, they have circumvented these policies for their own convenience.
Based on this, their action to rescind the order to lease Camp Catalpa was most likely illegal since they voted on an item not on the agenda. On the Camp Catalpa issue, I have to give credit to commissioners Kay Jones and Bill Strong for admitting their poor handling of this issue. Since Commissioners Blythe and Brewer chose not to respond on this issue, it makes me wonder how they feel about their decisions on it.
A lively discussion took place over consolidated 911. Everyone seemed to have a comment, but it seemed that Commissioner Mike Brewer got a little frustrated over Ian Ward’s comments on this subject. It was also interesting that the challengers for the most part felt consolidate 911 made sense, while most of the incumbents are dead set against it.
So, how did all of the candidates do? For the most part, they all presented themselves very well and in a positive manner. Obviously, all of the incumbents seemed more at ease most of the time since they have been through this many times before, but I did sense some frustration on the faces of Blythe and Brewer regarding 911 and Camp Catalpa.
All of the challengers did OK for their first public forum and I’m sure some were very nervous. Rita Smart, Richard Thomas, Michael Bryant and Ian Ward stood out to me more. They answered as many questions as they could and for the most part, were very specific in their answers. They also appeared to be more confident and at ease addressing citizens.
As most candidates did on Wednesday, I want to express my gratitude to the League of Women Voters of Berea and Madison County for conducting the forum. It was well worth the time and investment to be able to learn more about each candidate and what is on the minds of voters. If you were not able to attend or watch it on Wednesday, you still can view it on cable Channel 12 on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. until the May 20 primary election.