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Letter to the editor: Lack of debate in election hurts city

By Jim Brady

Marion

Published: September 29, 2009

I am a relative newcomer to Marion, having only moved my business and my family here in the last year, but I've come up here for nearly five years now.
I have watched how the Marion City Council operates and have been pleased with the simplicity of solution-oriented governance on specific items but puzzled by the lack of forethought with regards to community planning.
Having come from an area with some of the state's most bitter and embattled political contests, I was optimistic towards a new election season, until I learned how it "works round here."
Political affiliation is a non-entity for elections here. This has its advantages but also poses problems at an organizational level. Political parties organize campaigns and campaign related events. Party members coordinate with the opposing parties to stage events that will offer greater visibility to their candidates and their platforms. The absence of this is, frankly, an atmosphere of business as usual. Incumbent candidates have a far greater advantage based solely on name recognition.
Candidates for a position such as mayor hold a unique office. When elected they are directly responsible to the voters, who can have their voices heard in regularly scheduled sessions for public forum at City Council meetings.
It is ironic though, that voters must wait until after a candidate takes office to question them directly. There is no venue for a debate.
I was here during the bitterly contested liquor-by-the-drink vote and found solace in the openness of the debate process and how much each side gave time to the opposing side to make their point.
WHY then can we not hold debates in the same forum? Perhaps a public event in front of the County Courthouse, staged in such a manner to allow for candidates to offer their platform and what they envision for the coming term, if they are elected.
Then, a healthy airing of the issues with questions from the press that are selected to cast the most light on the positions the voters hold great weight on.
A small town hall like Q&A session might wrap things up to give the voters an idea of how a candidate responds to NON-preselected questions, how they think on their feet, if you will. Simply having been in the Council Chamber for every meeting in the last four years is not the only criteria for being returned to that venue of service.
I believe that by NOT having such an event for mayor, and for each major elected seat, City Council included, the citizens of Marion are denied proper access to the people they chose to carry their conscience, not just govern for them, and that is regrettable.
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