Comments about ‘Cities need to better involve citizens’

Why bother when the Legislature is just going to override the city and force their will on us anyway?

What is the role of the Mayor of any city? Is he the CEO of the organization. Is his job to see that the rules and decisions made by the "board" (city council) are acted upon?

Or, does he see himself as the "chairman of the board" whose job is to direct the "board of directors"?

The answer is found in the governing documents that defines the role of each elected official.

Before spending too much time discussing "top down government" or "bottom up government", shouldn't that governing document first be studied? When the role of each elected official is properly understood, it becomes a simple matter to measure the actions of any elected official against the duties assigned him/her by the people.

On the city's website it says: "Salt Lake City is governed by a mayor (executive function) and a city council (legislative function)."

Assuming that that information is correct, the Mayor enforces the laws and regulations passed by the city council. He is not the "chairman of the board". So, just like Mr. Florez wrote, the City Council, not the Mayor, writes the laws and regulations.

Charlie,

Who is the "grown-up", the Mayor, the City Council, the Governor, the State Legislator, or the PEOPLE? Grown-ups take responsibility. Successful parents work with their toddlers patiently until the toddlers understand discipline. Successful parents work with their belligerent teenagers until those teenagers understand proper conduct.

The PEOPLE elect to office those people who represent the views of the community. Then, if the PEOPLE are responsible, they hold the feet of those elected officials to the fire every time an elected official goes beyond the duties of his office.

If there is a problem in government, it starts with the PEOPLE who throw up their hands and give up because their "toddler" is too hard to handle. The PEOPLE tell the city council what to do. The PEOPLE restrict the Mayor from acting like a legislator. The PEOPLE reign in the State Legislature. The PEOPLE oversee the actions of the Governor.

Throwing up your hands and giving up is abdicating your duty as a citizen.

Instead of writing comments in a newspaper, why not send letters to your elected officials and to your neighbors asking them to help you "reign in" those elected officials?

@ J Thompson: Have you not been paying attention to the bills proposed during the current legislative session?

How can people in Salt Lake reign in elected officials from Sandy?

The people of Salt Lake elected those who will do what they want and now those who don't live in Salt Lake feel the need to vote down what those in Salt Lake want.

And since we have people like you who don't live in Salt Lake who support their overreaching legislators, there is not much we can do.

Charlie,

The UTAH STATE Legislature represents more than Salt Lake City.

Is it just possible that you expect the whole State to echo YOUR political ideology?

When someone is elected, and then re-elected, is it possible that that person is doing exactly what the people of his/her district expect?

This thread SEEMS to be about people having a voice. The voice of the people is loudest when they elect public officials. An election tells those in power to either continue with their current agenda, or to change that agenda.

Why not take a week-end or an entire week and travel the State, top to bottom, east to west, and visit with the people. Ask some NON-LEADING questions about government. You may be surprised to learn that Utah is a VERY conservative State. You may learn that people are hurting financially. You may learn that people State-wide have very little sympathy for inefficient money-sucking programs that do not produce the desired results.

You may learn that grown-ups have elected responsible people and that those elected are doing exactly what the PEOPLE want them to do.

@ J Thompson: What part of Utah State - other than Salt Lake City - is affected by Salt Lake City's desire to limit e-billboards within city limits? What part of Utah State - other than Salt Lake City - is affected by Salt Lake's ban on idling? What part of Utah State - other than Salt Lake City - is affected by Salt Lake City's taxi cab standards? How are other parts of the State of Utah affected by Salt Lake's Good Landlord Law? Or historical districts in Salt Lake City?

I have no problem with the Utah State Legislature running the business of the state - I just fail to see how micro-managing things that only affect Salt Lake City, things that the residents of Salt Lake City asked for and support - has anything to do with the running the rest of the state or how it is the business of someone who lives in a district other than Salt Lake City.

I also find it hypocritical that the Legislature refuses to pass a statewide anti-discrimination bill because it may infringe on the values of some cities but they are so willing to interfere with the values of Salt Lake.