Is there merit to the rumblings from the island underground considering city government?
Whatever your opinion may be regarding the city government’s performance under two-term mayor Darlene Kordonowy, there appears to be a growing enmity among islanders who believe the administration’s perceived lack of transparency and ineffectiveness could lead to some calamitous mistakes. Most recently, they are critical of the city’s handling of the proposed Streetscape project on Winslow Way and the 2008 budget process.
It’s not exactly news, of course, since activists have been calling Bainbridge city government dysfunctional for years, focusing primarily on the relationship between the mayor and the council. But the unrest has risen to a crescendo with an attempt to place a referendum on the November general election ballot to replace the city’s mayor-council form of government with the a manager-council structure.
The action was initiated by the Bainbridge Resource Group, a few dozen full-time residents who say their numbers are growing. Recently they have included the involvement and the knowledge of several islanders who have served on taxing agencies such as the school board and fire district. The group’s emphasis is to organize several informational meetings to enlighten islanders about what configuration might be best for Bainbridge Island’s unique environment. Organizers say the focus will be on what’s best for the island, not a vendetta aimed at getting rid of Kordonowy, who has not yet made a declaration on whether she will run for mayor in 2010.
Individuals but not the group, per se, will be involved as the movement goes forward. Legally, the council could place the measure on the ballot, if it were so inclined. But the group prefers going through the petition process: signatures will be collected (about 1,000 are required) and given to the council, which will then decide when the measure will go before voters. Eighty-four days are required to place a measure on a ballot, which means the process needs to be completed in early August to get the issue on the November ballot.
Because the movement is considered a political campaign, the mayor and council must remove themselves from any involvement other than what the law allows. The city, however, has pledged $10,000 (2008 budget) to provide public outreach. You may recall that a similar attempt to switch from the strong mayor form of city government to manager-council was defeated in 1993 by the voters.
Regardless of what happens this time around, islanders will be best served if they choose to inform themselves about their government by being involved in the process. Because of the state’s strong public records law, the question of whether or not there is openness by city officials can be answered primarily by involved citizens who demand to be an active part of the process.
A new form of government may facilitate a needed change, but how well any city serves its constituents always depends on the public’s ability to watchdog its elected officials.
***************
Correction and clarification
• The obituary for Richard McCool was mistakenly printed with a photo of Donald Gibson in Saturday’s edition. The Review regrets the error; complete obituaries with the correct photos appear on page 11 of today’s paper.
• Tanks and equipment for creosote cleanup at Pritchard Park will remain at the site for the foreseeable future, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. An article in Saturday’s Review said tank removal was eventual. Also, creosote exposure is harmful to both humans and the environment. The article understated the risk to humans.
