To the editor:

It seems to me that the only time we have a city or countywide vote is to elect commissioners or to decide on a huge tax increase, never a vote on city or county agenda. This is what our elected officials decide. Our mayor, Mike Rundle, was recently quoted as saying, “This issue, like many, has public health and safety aspects, and our job is to deal with those issues and concerns” (April 9, J-W) Maybe that’s correct. Are we as citizens so misinformed as to vote on what isn’t healthy or safe for us or, for that matter, to vote on anything at all except to re-elect our commissioners? At best, this is a quasi-democratic ideology.

There needs to be a system of checks and balances, not just balances. We, the people, need to have the right to vote on issues that affect our lives, our property and our tax dollars. This is the democratic ideology that should be present in our local government. Past issues such as public transit and the municipal golf course; current issues such as a new library, a new fire station, which are all idealistic, but didn’t or won’t make it to a public voting booth. These issues need to be voted on by the people and not just by elected officials with their own agenda. Who knows? Maybe in the near future our officials will be appointed instead of elected, further reducing our right to vote.

Jeff Bivens,

Lawrence