Soren Stoutner – Common Sense Politics

As some of you may know, my wife and I have recently had our second child.  Because of that, I will have a limited amount of free time in the future.  Regretably, I have decided that I will not be able to regularly attend the Town Council meetings in the future.

Hopefully I will still find ways to be involved with local politics.  I have a lot of respect for our elected and appointed town leadership.

Mayor’s Follow-up to Previous Public Comments and/or Criticism

Having the mayor respond in writing and verbally in the subsequent meeting to previous public comments is a wonderful idea.  I think this will be able to clear the air of some of the misconceptions that have floated around in the past.  Additionally, those who speak from the public should remember that we should be civil with our elected officials as much as we expect them to be civil with us.

“If you have a problem, make it a process.  Then you won’t have a problem anymore.”

It is hard to make good policy.  I think it is a good idea to form a building rental waiver policy.  It is better than not having any policy.  However, I agree with Chris Band that some parts of this particular policy should be modified.  Hopefully it will be improved incrementally over the next few years.

Should the Town be involved in the business of hauling trash?

I don’t know the answer.  I would wish the town wasn’t involved.  I would like there to be some competition in this realm.  Right now our options are to have a government-run monopoly or to have a private-run monopoly.  Perhaps it would be best if we remove the restriction that requires town residents to use the town’s waste management system.  That way, residents could choose to use Sickles or the Town for waste management.  I can guarantee that this would keep the cost down for the residents.

Reality is Perception: I have noticed that during the past several meetings, there has been a lot of friction between the council and the public.  I’m beginning to worry that there is a negative perception problem of the town leadership.  I have a few observations:

1. There are some problems in the town, as there are in all towns.
2. Sometimes people make mistakes even when they have good intentions.
3. Sometimes situations initially look bad until all the details are on the table, and then things are different.

There are definitely things we need to do better.  In addition to the items above, I would add that:

1. Being professional will usually get you a lot more mileage than being angry.

With all of that said, perception is reality, especially in politics.  It seems that an increasing portion of the town residents feel that their elected representatives and town leaders are not representing their interests.  If I were a member of the Town Council, I would make resolving this issue my highest priority.  You cannot please everyone all the time.  That is not the goal.  But if you communicate openly and listen respectfully, you can address the concerns of a large number of those who are dissatisfied.  Failure to do so will eventually create large divisions in our community.

During this meeting, I believe there has been a marked effort to do just what I have suggested above.

Call to the Public: We so often hear from citizens during the call to the public who are disrespectful or who have not thought through their comments.  What a refreshing experience to listen to a member of the Friends of the Library whose comments are respectful, well organized, and appropriate.  In fact, there are several members of the public who have added to the meeting with their comments.

Medical Marijuana: This has always been a slippery slope.  That which originally begins as medical marijuana will always move in the direction of full legalization of marijuana.

I haven’t been able to attend the past couple of Town Council meetings.  It’s nice to be back.

Police Chief: The new police chief is in attendance.  Mayor Blunt introduced him to the audience.  I’m looking forward to meeting him and working with his department.

Flood Prevention: There is a discussion about allowing a company to remove material from the middle of the Hassayampa river and sell it, giving the Town $0.40 per ton.  Council Member Stewart pointed out that the biggest benefit of this is to prevent flooding and erosion of the banks of the river.  This is a wise point.  We often don’t think seriously enough about flood protection.  Anything we can do to prevent future problems would be well advised.

Economic Development: The Town is considering seeking a three-year grant for a full time Economic Development Director from the Wellik Foundation.  I have nuanced feelings about this issue.

1. I do not believe that it is the government’s role to create jobs or manage economic development.
2. I’m encouraged that the Town is seeking private funding.  I am in favor of private and business organizations creating jobs and organizing economic development.
3. After three years, it is likely that this position would begin to be funded out of the General Fund.

When addressing problems in government, it is important to consider all the future ramifications of the structures and organizations that are created.  It has become common in our country (and everywhere else in the world) to expect our government to provide jobs and economic development for the citizens.  The expected role of government has changed from “protecting our rights” and “providing our needs.”

Isaiah, a prophet of the Old Testament, foresaw this shift in our expectation of government.  “And the people shall be oppressed. . . .  When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people” (Isaiah 3:5-7)  It is interesting that this is a prophesied day of economic collapse, which is where government management of economies always leads.

Council Members Chris Band, Scott Stewart, and (partially) Rui Pereira agree with me on the issue that this isn’t a government task and that it would be better handled by a private entity.  In the end, only Council Member Band voted against it.

Library: The Town Council voted to accept the contract with the Friends of the Library.  I would hope that this issue is finely laid to rest, but my experience says otherwise.  My guess is that we are going to continue revisiting this issue for years to come.

I’ve decided to post an entry for each of the town council meetings I attend. My purpose is not to try to cover everything that happens during the meetings, or even everything that is important. Rather, my goal is to create a discussion on a few items of great importance and organize my thoughts on these issues. I have found that writing is a great tool to organize and develop thoughts.

Annexation: To thrive, Wickenburg needs to annex the surrounding area, both areas that have already been built and those that will be built in the future. Steve Boyle, the town planner, announced that the annex they had been working on for quite a few months finally went through. This is a good step. However, I believe that the Town of Wickenburg needs to do a better job of communicating to future town citizens the benefits of annexing into the town. Additionally, we need to make sure that there really are benefit to annexing into the town.

Library: It seems there is a never ending amount of friction regarding the library in the town council meetings.  This is a large issue that I have addressed previously and won’t try to cover again.  However, there are a few observations that are worth making.  1. This issue has been much more contentious than it should have been because many citizens in the community felt like deals were being done behind their backs.  Whether or not this is true, perception is often reality in politics.  One lesson for the future is that full transparency always makes things run smother.  This lesson applies not only to the government, but also to all the organizations and people who lobby in behalf of these issues.  2. When budgets are tight, cuts have to be made somewhere.  Any program that is cut will have a number of constituents who have benefited from the program who will object strongly.  It is never easy to cut programs.  Sometimes it is a good idea; sometimes it isn’t.  How governments prioritize their spending should be done openly and be based on publicly stated principles.  My experience is that some programs are over cut, some have extra funds, some are careful with their money, and some could spend more wisely.  Additionally, over the past 100 years, our government has started sticking their fingers in a lot of places they never should be.  If we eliminated all the things that the government shouldn’t be doing at all, that would probably take care of the problem.

The Right and the Responsibility of Carrying a Firearm: As the mayor said, “if you outlaw guns, then only the outlaws will have guns.”  Why is it so hard for people to understand this one basic principle?

Call to the Public: They mayor suggested that we move the call to the public back to the beginning of the meeting.  I whole heartedly concur because this increases the public’s access to their elected officials.  I would also encourage all those who participate to remember to be considerate in the length and appropriateness of their remarks.