Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 5, 1991 TAG: 9103061103
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GARY M. BOWMAN, C. JAMES WILLIAMS III and WILLIAM G. FRALIN JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The committee evaluated the change to a ward system in light of five tenets of Republican political philosophy. The committee concluded that only a ward system which meets these criteria could improve local government in Roanoke:
Individual choice should be maximized.
Under a small-district ward system, individuals would have a realistic opportunity to run for City Council, a choice many individuals do not currently have. The current cost of electioneering, which includes expensive mass media, would be reduced. The small size of election districts would require that successful candidates campaign person-to-person and door-to-door.
Voters will have increased individual choice because they can choose a representative from among their neighbors: They can choose someone who shares their concerns and someone who will be personally responsible and accountable to them. Their choice of representatives will not be limited to people whom they do not know, who do not live near them, and who do not share their problems and concerns.
However, wards must be small to realize the increased advantages of individual choice. Large wards would not protect individual choice, but would merely be a continuation of the current system.
Individual empowerment should be increased.
Republicans believe that the goal of government is to increase the power of each individual in our society to contribute to, and have an impact on, government. The at-large system in Roanoke has historically denied many citizens of the city an opportunity to participate in governing themselves.
The Republican Party has a policy program and candidates that would be attractive to the disenfranchised citizens, and Republicans are anxious to empower those voters.
Decision-making should be decentralized, bringing policy-making closer to the individual.
Under the at-large system, even in a city of Roanoke's size, large groups of citizens are unrepresented by City Council. The essence of ward politics is political decentralization, putting city legislators in direct contact with a small group of constituents. Government can only do what it is supposed to do - be responsive to the people's needs - if politicians are close enough to their constituents to hear their concerns and feel their pressure at election time.
Republican candidates and councilmen can be responsive to the citizens of Roanoke, in all parts of the city, if the structure of local politics is reformed so that Republicans can run from their own neighborhoods and advance the political concerns that are relevant to the people of the city.
Under a ward system, especially a system with small wards, it will be less likely that any area, group or citizen will be represented by someone who is unfamiliar with their needs.
Policies should achieve desired outputs.
The goal of the city Republican Party is to elect to office candidates who share a common philosophy of government. A ward system would create opportunities for new Republican candidates who are interested in moving Roanoke forward as a community respecting individual interests and who are anxious to take part in a local government that offers a realistic opportunity for responsive representation.
Public policy should be evaluated in light of its impact on the broader political economy.
Republicans believe in the power of the free market to allocate goods efficiently and effectively. A ward plan would create a political marketplace that would provide public goods to citizens more effectively.
Under the at-large system, City Council's only constituency is the entire city. However, individuals within the city often have diverse interests, and one of the functions of government is to help individuals articulate their self-interests.
Ward representation simplifies this process for individuals and groups of citizens. In a small-district ward system, the citizen can easily approach his representative with a demand and, if his neighbors also express sufficiently great demand, the representative will express the citizen's concern at City Council.
The definition of a desirable public good would then be defined by the market - the cumulative effect of the city's citizen preferences. Therefore, it is likely that a ward system would best guarantee that city government adopt the mix of policies and goods that benefit individuals, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole.
For these reasons, the Roanoke City Republican Committee endorses the idea of a ward system for Roanoke. However, to ensure that the five Republican criteria are met, a ward system should have:
Small districts: The benefits of ward systems are increased by the establishment of many small wards and reduced by the creation of a few large wards.
Term limits: The danger of machine politics and entrenched incumbency can be effectively combatted, and the benefits of wards protected, by limits on the amount of time which any individual may hold a seat on City Council.
At-large seats: The market benefits of ward representation would not be lost if City Council was composed of ward representatives and members elected at-large. A mix of ward representatives and at-large representatives would ensure that the interests of neighborhoods, as well as the interests of the city as a whole, are represented.
A fundamental change in our city's election system must not be undertaken without careful consideration of its many effects. After careful study, Roanoke Republicans endorse the concept of a modified ward system, but only within constraints which will ensure that a change will be a step toward better government for all the citizens of the city.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB