The Hour editorial today scolds the Common Council for stalling on the 4 year Mayoral term start up a charter revision committee. Naturally, they chide council members for asking for more information. What the Hour should be chiding the common council for is not doing their homework in the first place. Committee meetings should be where this council should be hammering out the details of what they intend to vote on. So what committee meeting is discussing a charter revision?
The Hour further states:
We support the idea of the four-year term as it provides more stability in City Hall, allowing the mayor to concentrate on city problems without having to keep his eye on re-election in another year.
Well maybe The Hour should take a look at the charter, because the power of the City rests with the Council. Without Council authorization the Mayor, for example, has no power to enter into a contract. So if the Mayor needs a four year term, so does the Council. Or at least some of the Council. I’ve proposed before that any elected position that is city wide, that would include the Common Council At-large seats, the BOE At-large seats and the Mayoral seat should be four year terms. Let the in-district seats go every two.
While we are at it, the Council members pay should increase form the rate set in 1913 of $600 a year to something more in line with the hours required for the job. Maybe its even worth discussig that the At-large seats become full time. Sure, these are relatively big changes from how things have been always been done. But Norwalk has changed. Operational issues, policy issues and constituent services have outgrown the volunteer part time system we have now. The Mayor should have a legislative body that has the time and resources to do its work, just as much as the Common Council should have an executive branch that isn’t focused on elections.
