Council serves from the bottom up while the the Manager serves from to top down. The manager runs the city and is responsible to bring before council her's and staff's recommendation  for any appropriate legislative action to be takenn.  Council hired the manager and may remove her at any time if their not happy with her performance. The manager represents the opinion of the city and council members should represent the opinion of the citizens they serve.

 

The ward system does not create any conflect not found in the normal process of give and take represented in a democratic system. The only way that a responsible and open debate is not part of the normal democratic process is when as system of all at-large representatives have already agreed on a specific issue over lunch or at their neighborhood block party.

 

 

 

1. It has given focus to areas that have been neglected far too long.

2. It has given us new, effective voices and leaders such as Sonny Hill, Anita Scott Jones and a host of others in behalf of low to moderate income citizens.

3. It has been an obvious check and balance against abuse of funding going to special interests projects.

4. It is typical of governments that have worked successfully in our nation such as states,counties,municipalities, townships and wards.

5. It helps to get more citizens involved in city matters.

6. It prevents special interest groups from always having control of power and money.

7. It assists in keeping us aware of problems in areas that might otherwise be overlooked

    cf. The canal

8. It helps to unite the city within and beyond the ward.

9. It has given us more representation. If its good enough for the ward its good enough for the city. If its good enough for the city its good enough for the ward.

10. It has worked in cities everywhere and it has worked in Middletown for twenty years.

 

       The current attempt to remove the wards is to prevent all of these good things from continuing so that less people can have more power. Keep the ward system!

Paul Nagy

 

 

"As to  the 4-Ward system "creates conflect" That's bull. I have personally spoken with the majority of the current council and they claim that's not an issue at all, and would be happy to say it in public."

 

From the Middletown Journal 10-16-09: