Charter Commission May Now Limit Citizens' Involvement

[Towntalk]

We are in a universe above and beyond all others ... super stars of all superstars in a world unworthy of our presence.

[iwasthere]

am i surprised? yes and no. i am not surprised that you agreed with me. we both want the best for ytown. i am surprised that you have more of acidity tongue then me. i thought i was the king of tongue trashing, you take the gold. i say this as a compliament.

[Towntalk]

Would you be surprised if I said I agree with you? 

As to 95% of the voting residents of Youngstown, they are too lazy or too stupid to bother with educating themselves about charters and other mundane matters that effect their lives. Give em a burger and a bottle of beer and they're happy.

[jay]

Do you think the elimination of the paid position of President of Council will make it to the ballot?  I don't.

President of Council presides at 20 regular council meetings a year, does not represent any ward population, does not serve on any committees, and makes more than a councilman.  Oh, did I mention that a regular council meeting lasts between five and ten minutes?

FYI - The President of Council didn't attend one of the regular council meetings recently.

[iwasthere]

the ytown citizens can always put a referendum on the ballots twice a year, once during the  primary election and once during the general election. towntalk it might be politics as usual but there are many ways to skin a cat. the general public should attend the weekly charter review meetings to see and hear what these charter members know and do not know. my experence by attending these meetings, the next members must be elected by ytown citzens.

[Towntalk]

So far as I know, Council can not make revisions to the city charter on it's own without taking it to the ballot. They can decide which amendments go to the ballot though, and we can vote down the ones we don't like. If we vote them all down, Council would have to go back to the drawing board.

[jay]

Not all of the proposed charter changes will make it to the ballot.  You will not have the opportunity to vote for or against many of them.

[Towntalk]

So this is somethin' new?

There has to come a time when all good things must come to an end, my friend, and this includes the new City Charter. Apparently you would have it go on until the little lambs come home, and that's just not the way it happens in the real world.

When the amendments come on the ballot, we all have the opportunity to vote down the ones we don't like, and that carries more weight than haggling over items before hand.

This is politics my friend, not a sunday school session, and we all know that politics is a dirty business no matter which way you cut it, and all politicians are born liars. That promise they make today is forgotten the moment the last vowel is uttered.

[jay]

It looks as though the Youngstown Charter Commission plans to limit citizen involvement as the commission reaches the final stage of submitting charter changes to city council.  At the outset of the charter review process, the commission promised to hold one final public meeting in May to let the residents of Youngstown prioritize proposed charter changes.  The commission now wants to prioritize changes on its own.