A letter that was received from Steve Rideout by email on January 27, 2015.
Below the letter is an explanation of the City Manager form of government and why.
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"Dear Group:
"As you know, there have been ups and downs with the effort to improve the
effectiveness of the government of Cambridge through establishing a city manager
form of governance.
"Last evening there was another bump in the road.
"As you will recall, in December the commissioners on a 4-1 vote passed the
charter changes and transition ordinance. Under Maryland law, those who disagree
with that law change had until yesterday to obtain signatures of 20% of the
registered voters in the city seeking a referendum. Last evening a petition was
presented at the city council meeting seeking such a referendum. As a result the
city manager implementation process is on hold pending a number of things.
"1. The Dorchester Board of Election must review the signatures on the
petition and determine if there are the required number of registered voters who
have signed it.
2. As I have not seen the form that was presented, I do not know what it
says, but that has to be reviewed to determine the petition meets legal
requirements.
3. If the petition meets the requirements, the Board of Elections will
certify the matter back to city council for next steps. How long the review of
the petitions will take is unknown.
4. If the petitions are certified and returned to city council, it will
need to set a date for a vote on the referendum. The options would be within
40-60 days of the petitions being returned or the alternative would be that the
vote would be held at the next general election in June 2016 (over a year from
now).
"Those who presented the petition asked to have the ability to observe the
certification process by the Board of Elections. It would appear that there
would also be an opportunity for those who support the commissioner's decision
to establish the charter changes to also observe that process.
If the petition is certified for a vote, there will be a need for people
who support the effort to have a city manager to put together a campaign to make
that happen. That means the ability of the small group that has pursued this
effort for the past 2 years needs significant help from you, your neighbors,
and those you know in the city.
"In the final analysis, we will get the government that we deserve. If we
simply let the vote happen with no effort on our part, I am concerned that
Cambridge will return to a government that hides what it will do with Sailwinds,
overtaxes its citizens, fails to implement a vision for the city to help it and
its citizens to prosper, be a city that thrives on grants rather then effective
and smart business development, and the list goes on."
Steve
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Background on City Manager Initiative
Here are some reasons why we
think it is a good idea:
Council-manager
government combines the strong political leadership of elected officials with
the strong managerial experience of an appointed manager or administrator. All
power and authority to set policy rests with an elected governing body, which
includes a mayor and members of the council. The governing body in turn hires a
nonpartisan manager who has very broad authority to run the organization. The
council-manager form has become the most popular structure of local government
in the United States.
How does council-manager government work?
The
elected council represents our community and develops a long-range vision for
its future. They establish policies that affect the overall operation of the
community and are responsive to residents’ needs and wishes. To ensure that
these policies are carried out and that the entire community is equitably
served, the Council appoints a highly trained professional manager on the basis
of his or her education, experience, skills, and abilities (and not their
political allegiances). If the manager is not responsive to the governing body,
it has the authority to terminate the manager at any time.
How can council-manager government benefit our Community?
Policy-making resides with elected officials, while oversight of the day-to-day operations of
the community resides with the manager. In this way, the elected officials are
free to devote time to policy planning and development
The
manager carries out the policies established by the elected governing body with
an emphasis on effective, efficient, and equitable service delivery. He or she
is a full-time professional employee whose sole responsibility is working to improve
Cambridge.
Does it cost more to have the council-manager form of Government?
Most
local governments have found that their overall costs are reduced under
competent full-time management. Savings come from decreased operating costs,
increased efficiency and productivity, and improved revenue collection. The
economic health of the community benefits from improved business development
and retention of existing businesses.
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