Next time, slow down a bit

By Matt Lane
Editor

December 08, 2005 09:07 am

— First, Steve Fairfield is eminently qualified to sit on the McAlester City Council and represent the people of Ward 3. That’s not an issue, in fact, I think the council made a good choice.
How Fairfield was selected is where the council, the mayor and I part ways.
The city was blessed with six good candidates for the seat left vacant by the resignation of Michael Dawkins. Six good citizens came forward and said “I am willing to serve.” What a wonderful thing that is, considering that being a member of the McAlester City Council must be one of the toughest jobs in town just now.
The council has every right, under the city’s charter, to pick whom they please to fill seats left vacant with less than one year left in the term. I’m not arguing with that. I wonder if maybe changes might be needed in the charter to ensure more citizen involvement, but that’s another kettle of fish.
Both Mayor Don Lewis and City Manager Susan Monroe have said they will involve the citizens of this city in the big decisions as they arise. Both have promised the end of cronyism and the end of business the old way.
The appointment of Fairfield may not have lived up to those promises.
It would have been better if the council had scheduled a town hall meeting with all six applicants present, ready to take questions from interested citizens. The council could have sat and listened and taken the views of citizens into account when deciding who would fill the vacant seat.
I also question the timing of Monday’s special meeting. There was precious little time to get any information about the applicants out. Would it have been better to announce who the applicants were, hold a town hall meeting, and then within a week or so, meet and make the selection? I think so, and I would venture others in Ward 3 and the rest of the city might agree.
There is no question the City Council has come far. There is, for a change, spirited debate on the big issues which face our city. There are split votes — Remember when the outcome of nearly any measure before the council was pre-decided? — and the council is becoming more responsive to regular folks.
This progress can be overshadowed, however, by any perception that city government is returning to the bad old days when the community was effectively shut out of the decision making process.
I would urge the city council, mayor and city manager to rethink the appointment process used this time. Town hall meetings with all the applicants offer a unique, important venue for the people most affected by their decisions to be heard.

Matt Lane is the editor of the McAlester News-Capital. Send him hate mail or encouragement to: Editor, P.O. Box 987, McAlester, OK, 74501. Call him at 421-2022 or send e-mail to editor@mcalesternews.com