Seeking Bold Action To Move Our Community Forward

I think we all might have heard the phrase, “If you’ve ever seen how sausage was made you probably won’t eat it .” Well, I think that has often been a quote that has been distorted a bit over time. I’ve visited a friend’s farm over the years where they raised various animals which they would utilize for their own consumption in their homes and sell to the general public over the years.

Winston Churchill once was quoted as saying that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.” His thoughts on politics were as blunt and to the point, such as. “Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow,  the next week, the next month, and then the next year, and with a straight face tell his audience why it didn’t happen.”

The one thing I learned about politics early on was that running for office was much easier than sitting in the seat which was loaned to you by the electorate. I witnessed that at our recent council meeting.

It certainly was perplexing to observe the 3-3 deadlock regarding the choice by the six sitting members of council to elect a chairperson and vice-chair. Four times they attempted to do so and failed each time. There is one seat which has yet to be filled on the dais due to a former councilor's resignation, and until that empty seat can be filled there may be no way forward.

Having done some research on the subject I’ve come to the conclusion that the only fair way forward may be a special election to fill that seat. I believe it is time for bold action to allow the electorate to make that choice. Yes, I know the Charter requires council to accomplish that goal amongst themselves, however having been stymied in that effort I believe the Charter does not preclude that process of a special election should a majority of council members vote positively in that manner, so long as the city attorney advises them positively on that matter.

There was an awful lot of discussion at the last council meeting regarding how we need to listen to the people when it comes to issues, and I think it is time for this courageous action by council to recognize this important way forward. The filling of that empty chair would then have a fully seated council, and we would let the chips fall where they may unless, of course, those words uttered at the last council meeting were no more than window dressing,

The political system isn’t supposed to be easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Let’s let the people speak on this important issue because of the importance of moving our community forward in a positive direction, we owe it to our community to let the people fill that seat and move on into the future as we seek to do the important business of our community and the people’s business. It is time we all contributed to the public good by putting the community first and political ambitions second. 

Although this election was about change, we cannot use that as an excuse to stand still, for by doing so, we may certainly be missing many of the positive opportunities that await us in the future. We owe that to our community and the next generation, who will call Marco Island their home.