Marysville voters better get ready. They only have five months and counting to decide whether to make a major change in their city’s form of government.
When they slip into those blue voting booths, as early as September, they’ll be asked whether the city should switch to a council-manager form of government, drastically altering the current role of the mayor. It’ll take time for voters to carefully weigh the pros and cons before reaching a conclusion.
Unless something unexpected happens, the matter is headed to voters. The whole matter came about rather quickly due to the work of a grass-roots group, Reform Now. The organization’s members were put off by Marysville Mayor Dave Weiser’s handling of a controversy surrounding former city council member Tom Grady. In a city that seems to be plagued by controversy and mini-scandals lately (think: city council, angst between school district officials and teachers, complaints and support of high school coaches, etc.) the move to do away with the mayor as the city’s chief administrative officer could get lost in the mix.
Reform Now doesn’t appear to be prolonging the agony in Marysville. Instead, group members seem to know what they want and they’re pursuing it in a timely, legal fashion. So, residents must research the matter for themselves and decide if they agree. The group contends a council-manager form of government would save money and boost accountability. Voters must decide if, in voting to change the current form of government, they’re willing to give up their right to vote for future mayors. Opponents could argue the current form of governance works just fine by allowing voters to replace the mayor if they don’t approve of how the city is run.
Some of those who signed the petition already know they want to see a change. Others signed simply to give people a say in the matter. The latter seems to be a popular theme lately. People seem to want to vote on absolutely everything these days, from a local events center to our state’s transportation plan. It points to an overall distrust and lack of respect for any government body — an issue which needs addressing and a resolution of its own.
Perhaps that’s why Marysville’s decision could be so important to watch. City residents should wake up and take notice of the important choice they’ll likely face. Upcoming meetings should be announced soon and people should plan to attend at least one to know what the issues are.
Whatever comes of Reform Now’s efforts, at the very least they’ve offered us a chance to learn more about local government.
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