Column for Oct 18, 2007

Change the charter, change the town for the better

Every odd numbered year, there are elections in municipalities across the state. Some have already transpired, others are yet to come. I love local government and always have. It is interesting to see how different towns in North Carolina and even across different states run their affairs. What I enjoy about local government is the "hands on" ability, especially in smaller towns. I have kept watch on some elections in towns that are of personal interest to me.

In my capacity as a technician for a very large media company (company policy strongly discourages me mentioning their name, though it is not specific to me alone), I travel frequently across North Carolina. On Monday, I got to travel to Fayetteville to do some work and see the various election signs in different towns. Some towns, because of their size, have different districts or wards, depending on what they happen to be called in that municipality. I am a big fan of district voting, especially when it comes to county elections, and even for municipal elections.

Several weeks ago, I documented a problem with an annexation ordinance passed earlier this year, as there was no two-thirds majority vote on the first introduction of the ordinance for a vote and there was no second vote within 90 days. That is one problem that could have possibly been alleviated with something I have advocated for Selma for some time.

According to Selma's town charter, "The Town Council, hereinafter referred to as the "Council", shall be the governing body of the Town. The Council shall be composed of four (4) members and the Mayor. Four (4) Council Members shall be elected at large by all the qualified voters of the Town for staggered terms of four (4) years or until their successors are elected and qualified. The mayor shall be elected by all the qualified voters of the Town for a term of two (2) years or until his or her successor is elected and qualified." I am not a fan of at large elections, except for those positions that make sense to have at large voting because of the breadth of the constituency.

Having true district elections in a town such as Selma would allow citizens to have a more direct influence on their elected officials and foster an even closer connection to Town Hall. It is also, in my opinion, more in the true spirit of a representative republic. This concept works well for other towns, and I feel it would work better for Selma.

There are currently two election precincts in Selma. The east precinct is about twice the size of the west precinct, based upon simple population and registered voters. What I propose for consideration is that the town seek to amend its town charter to increase its electorate numbers and at the same time, subdivide into precincts, wards, or districts, depending upon the pleasure of your vocabulary. I would love to see the east precinct split into two halves, thus yielding three districts. Two representatives from each district would be members of the Town Council, bringing the total number of Councilors to six plus one mayor elected at large. One member of each ward would be up for election each odd numbered year, for terms of four years, just as the existing pattern follows.

One argument used against district elections, as was the case when Johnston County was considering this very thing for apportioning the School Board members by district, was that it would tend to harm so called "minority candidates". I am sorry, but that argument does not fly with me and it never has. An elected representative does just that, represents all constituents. Do Bob Etheridge or Charles Hester represent only Caucasians because of their skin color, or do they represent every person in their respective constituencies? It is not a matter of needing to put someone from a so called minority group on an elected board. If people are willing to vote as a block to elect someone because of skin color and need the wider base of support in order to accumulate sufficient voters to put someone in office based upon race, then I say that they have short changed themselves and have not fielded a good candidate. Elections should never be about race, they should be about issues and governance.

If Selma went to the concept of district municipal elections rather than at large elections and at the same time increased the number of Town Council members, we may very well have a better success rate of ordinance passage when needed, a better balance or blend of constituency, foster closer neighborhood ties, have less areas go basically unrepresented as has been the case for years, would increase the likelihood of having a quorum when needed, and may increase the spectator entertainment value for those of us who watch council meetings. Sure, it will take a change to the town charter, but it will be worth it. The "more perfect union" concept of a better representative republic awaits towns like Selma.