CITY PRIORITIES
Last week, a member of the board which oversees the Spokane region's air quality introduced the notion of requesting cities to do what they could to combat global warming, thus introducing the problem of global warming in a somewhat official way to the City of Spokane. The City Council has seen presentations on this issue, but as usual they have ignored them. So let me take this opportunity to list some other ignored issues which are also vital to our survival as a free and safe democracy.
First, we need a ombudsman. This is essential so that the average citizen will feel connected, as a participant, to his government.
Next, we need to redesign the current neighborhood council system in a major way. This move relates to the ombudsman proposal in that the current neighborhood council system is too elitist, though it was never intended to be other than that. We need much less authoritarinism in Spokane, and a democratic neighborhood system as an actual part of the city's governance system would help.
In fact, the whole city government structure needs a major overhaul, carried out in the total daylight of public participation. For example, what sense does it make to call a third of Spokane a district? The differences between the members of one of these "districts" are much greater than any similarities. So the alleged attempt at better representaiion is foolish on the face of it.
Then we need a citizen police and fire departments review committe, picked from other than the crony pool; this is to counteract the PR blitzes we've been subject to for years.
We also need a living wage law and several other changes, but I'll let it go for now.
First, we need a ombudsman. This is essential so that the average citizen will feel connected, as a participant, to his government.
Next, we need to redesign the current neighborhood council system in a major way. This move relates to the ombudsman proposal in that the current neighborhood council system is too elitist, though it was never intended to be other than that. We need much less authoritarinism in Spokane, and a democratic neighborhood system as an actual part of the city's governance system would help.
In fact, the whole city government structure needs a major overhaul, carried out in the total daylight of public participation. For example, what sense does it make to call a third of Spokane a district? The differences between the members of one of these "districts" are much greater than any similarities. So the alleged attempt at better representaiion is foolish on the face of it.
Then we need a citizen police and fire departments review committe, picked from other than the crony pool; this is to counteract the PR blitzes we've been subject to for years.
We also need a living wage law and several other changes, but I'll let it go for now.
