Local News
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Davoli blasts process of changing charterFEATURES WRITER
Mayor John Davoli told "the rest of the story" on the city manager amendments Monday.
"I'd like to clear up some facts regarding these amendments. We're dealing with a council-controlled city manager form of government. ... First off, if you haven't read all 11 amendments to our charter, you have to vote no because how can you make such a major switch to our city's government without even reading the amendments?" Davoli said to the more than 25 people, including council members and candidates, police officers and members of the general public gathered at Fostoria Municipal Building.
"Once you read them and see the blatant grab for complete and unchecked and unbalanced power by city council, you will definitely vote no," he said.
Davoli pointed out the 11 amendments included "council" or its "legislative authority" 63 times.
"The choice is very clear. Do you want an unchecked and unbalanced council form of government or a fair and balanced council-mayor form of government?" the mayor asked.
The amendment would mean city council will decide everything and would prevent citizens from their "God-given" right to vote for the leader of the city, according to Davoli.
"That right will be stripped away from you and you will only have a small group of city council members who will pick the city leader. Call me old fashioned, but I believe all voters should pick its leader," Davoli said.
He also cautioned the city manager form of government would take away checks and balances and would remove the separation of powers into legislative and executive branches. Davoli stated the "strong mayor" form of government has been used for a long time and it enables each branch of government to "keep an eye" on the others.
"As an example, I find it hard to believe that a council-controlled city manager would bring up the hypocrisy of a part-time council member getting full-time health care, dental and eye care and full prescription coverage," said Davoli.
The council's refusal to give the amendments three readings and passing it as an emergency also drew fire from Davoli, who called it a "circumvention" of the charter amendment process.
Under the current charter, the mayor and council are set to appoint a 15-member charter review commission.
"This is meant to be a non-partisan, non-political group to decide what is best for our city, not what is best for a handful of people. This is meant to start up in January 2010, just two months from now. Vote no now and let's see what a group of Fostorians come up with that don't have an axe to grind or a political power grab in mind. Once again council is trying to circumvent the 2010 process by pushing this council-controlled city manager this year. What a waste of time by some, not all, but some council members when the whole process starts up again in two months," Davoli said.
He pointed out the charter review commissions' recommendations must be passed by council without revision.
"I wholeheartedly believe that was clearly set up to keep politics out of the process and out of the charter," said Davoli. He recommended letting that commission take on the changes.
"You'll get a better general consensus and rather than being a divisive thing in the city and a thing that breeds animosity and just people not getting along about it, put that commission together next year and ... let people have their viewpoints. ... Let that unbiased group do that. ... We told the voters back then this is how we would do this and I think we should stick by that," said Davoli, who added the department heads he has spoken with would be "more comfortable" with changes done that way.
He cautioned some of the motivation for the changes are both personal and political.
"Right now I feel very strongly that this is a movement from folks who are anti-me, anti-Davoli," said the mayor.
He noted John Gotherman, the lawyer who drafted the charter amendment language, cautioned the city against making changes due to personalities.
"You don't want to start that and I see that starting right here," said Davoli. He pointed to the campaign financing report of the Committee for Fostoria's Future, which has campaigned in favor of the amendments. It received its largest donation -- $1,000 -- from the Citizens for Responsible Government.
"That group of folks who are pushing this should raise a red flag for some folks as well ... It's become a political battle, a personality battle and that's not what this charter is all about," said Davoli, who noted he went out and campaigned for the original charter.
Council President Joe Droll, who was in attendance at the forum and has stated his support for the amendments, agreed the debate was becoming a personal one, but pointed to Davoli as the person making it so.
"(Mayor John Davoli) is trying to make this something that it isn't. ... We're trying to make this city better," said Droll. He noted the pro-city manager forum last week was open to questions from the public, but Monday's event was not.
"There were constituents there who were concerned that people didn't have the opportunity to present questions and concerns," said Droll.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tonight's candidate/issue forum hosted by the Review Times and Fostoria Woman's Club will be open to questions from the public. The event gets under way at 7 p.m. at Fostoria Woman's Club, 135 E. Fremont St. Doors open to the public forum at 6:30 p.m.
All contents © 1996 - 2008
Fostoria Review Times
Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
VIDEO
RT PHOTO GALLERY
Images for Sale
You can purchase photographs from The Review Times through our easy-to-use online system. Get prints, mousepads, T-shirts and more!
U.S. Headlines
- Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)
- AP Exclusive: Backers of NYC mosque appear divided (AP)
- Wind-whipped fires add to Detroit's economic woes (AP)
- Appeals court lets government halt torture lawsuit (AP)
- LA police chief booed at community meeting (AP)
- Highway deaths fall to lowest level since 1950 (AP)
World News
- Appeals court lets government halt torture lawsuit (AP)
- Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)
- Obama firm, won't yield on tax hike for wealthiest (AP)
- Colorado wildfire destroys more than 130 homes (AP)
- BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)
- AP Exclusive: Backers of NYC mosque appear divided (AP)
3 Comments
Latest comments listed first.Dorothy was looking for a way home, the Scarecrow brains, the Tinman a heart, and the Lion courage.
The Wizard was supposed to solve all their problems.
They were frightened by the Wizard's projected image until Toto pulled back the curtain showing the wizard to be a rather harmless old man.
The group found they had brains, heart, and courage all along. All Dorothy ever had to do was click her ruby red slippers.
Those wanting to change the government form have far too much faith in the Wizard-like image, not in the reality of what the city manager will be.
The city manager will not solve any problems that the present council currently has.
Hopefully there are a few local council candidates with faith enough in themselves and practical reasoning who already know we all have brains, heart, and courage, and are voters who, to paraphrase Dorothy, know what and where are home is.
Voters have directly elect United States Senators since 1913, replacing the selection of Senators by the state legislature. Fostoria voters can continue to directly elect a mayor, too.
As for the charter ammendments, I do not plan on voting for them even though this article represents power preservation in as much as the ammendments represent a power grab.
I am against for the simple fact that, if passed, we plan on keeping a mayor for traditional ceremonies, etc...
What a ridiculous waste of money.
This entire article could have been summarized as "It's not fair! I wanted to run for mayor again and now I won't have total control."
Give me a break.
If the mayor truly had the best interests of the city at heart, he would support this issue and put the future of the city ahead of his own political ambitions.
I respect anyone's right to vote no on the proposed charter amendments, but the mayor is wrong about his assertions of an imbalance of power and only attempting to twist the truth... again.
If anything, the passage of the charter amendments makes city council becomes MORE accountable to the citizens once the changes go into effect and there is NOTHING wrong with increased accountability.