Yakima Herald Republic – Saturday Soapbox
Guest Editorial: by Ninfa R. Gutierrez
If I’m paying for a meal, I expect a seat at the table!
The proposed strong mayor system for the City of Yakima closes any possibility of having my voice be heard. The layers of government keep getting larger, and the space to address our concerns and ideas keeps getting smaller.
I was going to say the old guard is back but they never really left. Dave Edler, Maureen Adkison, Dave Ettl, and others now think they can do something for the City of Yakima, but back when they had a chance and were in charge, they didn’t. In 2011, the citizens of Yakima shot down the same proposal.
The Voting Rights Act lawsuit in 2012 that was filed by the ACLU and decided by a federal judge, resulted in a new district system at the cost of $3 million in legal fees from the City of Yakima. Their argument, according to Edler’s comments in the Yakima Herald Saturday Soapbox section, is that our city will not reach its potential until we replace a manager system of government. He goes on to say that he was a city council member for eight years and two-term ceremonial mayor. How can one be in that position for eight years and not raise this issue until now? Oh, by the way, Mr. Edler was quoted saying, “I would love to be the mayor of Yakima in the (new) kind of form.”
I’m proud to say that I became a U. S. citizen after taking a course at YVCC 37 years ago. Although I don’t claim to be an expert on the Constitution of the United States, I know my rights as a citizen. During the Citizenship Ceremony, when Representative Sid Morrison handed me my Citizenship certification, I felt very proud to be part of this Great Nation, where my VOTE and my rights are just as important as those of the President of the United States.
All the elected members that govern the city of Yakima, must make every effort to be inclusive. In the last meeting they had, it was very shameful to witness how they ignored the larger number of citizens that were opposed to the Strong Mayor, when they sided with only the three people that wrote the proposal. Their own City Attorney warned them that the proposal was not valid according to the rules.
Our Constitutional Democracy is at its best when it fully includes the voices of minorities. Let us not waste any more money and time.
All citizens of Yakima must have a place at the table if we mean to follow the law.
Our Constitutional Democracy is at its best when it fully includes the voices of minorities.
All the elected members that govern the city of Yakima, must make every effort to be inclusive. In the last meeting they had, it was very shameful to witness how they ignored the larger number of citizens that were opposed to the Strong Mayor, when they sided with only the three people that wrote the proposal. Their own City Attorney warned them that the proposal was not valid according to the rules.
Our Constitutional Democracy is at its best when it fully includes the voices of minorities. Let us not waste any more money and time. All citizens of Yakima must have a place at the table if we mean to follow the law.
Posted July 02, 2020
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