Surely many folks remember the old Saturday Night Live skit in which a comic playing Jimmy Carter shows another player as Ronald Reagan around the Oval Office, opening a desk drawer and saying, “I keep the paper clips right here.”
As they consider the renewal of City Manager Mike West’s contract, Dothan city commissioners must keep that skit in mind, as a similar scenario could play out in the summer of 2013.
In changing the way the elected body is seated, the commission has made the people of Dothan vulnerable to a disruption of leadership. Commission seats have traditionally featured staggered four-year terms, with three district seats coming up for election one year, and the other three, along with the mayor’s seat, coming up for election two years later.
That meant that if a commissioner who was up for re-election at the same time as the mayor’s seat wanted to run for the at-large position, he would have to abandon his current position, as he could not run for two seats at once. If an official serving a commission seat on the other cycle wanted to run for mayor, he would remain as a commissioner during his campaign and, if he lost the mayoral race, would have another two years as a commissioner.
It’s easy to see how that is unfair. However, the commission decided to address the issue by aligning the terms, making all six commission seats come up for election at once. That will happen for the first time in the summer of 2013.
The good news is that if the people get into a mood to throw all the rascals out, they can do so – every one of them, all at once.
The bad news is that if the people get into a mood to throw all the rascals out, they can do so – every one of them, all at once.
With no overlap of terms, there is a potential for every elected office to have a greenhorn with no knowledge of the basic framework of governance or even the logistics of navigating city hall.
City Manager West has served the commission well for the last eight years, and we know of no reason why he should not be engaged for another tour under the similar terms.
However, we do know of a good reason why he should be contracted for at least another two years. If the voters send all the incumbents packing, there should be someone left who knows where to find the paper clips.
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