In response to “City Council to AMPS: We would do anything for love, but we won’t do that” published on Aug. 31, 2017.
Last week, the Malibu City Council voted down the option to study whether the changing from a charter law city to a general law city would be beneficial, not only for creating a new Malibu school district, but also for democracy.
Even though the Malibu City Council voted, 3-2, to not study this option, I hope everyone that is at all interested in Malibu’s political future looks closely at this option.
A good place to start is the essay “Can Strong Mayors Empower Weak Cities? On the Power of Local Executives in a Federal System” by Richard C. Schragger in the Yale Law Journal.
This article considers the pros and cons of charter government and provides:
“Modern-day scholars and reformers who are democracy-minded—that is, who tend to favor a wider distribution of political power or a more participatory politics—rarely think of the mayoralty as an instrument of political decentralization or as a source of popular political energy. These scholars often favor a strong city council or strong neighborhood governance institutions, both of which tend to disperse political power, moving it away from city hall and toward the ward or neighborhood.
“The strong mayoralty, however, offers two benefits to the democrat that a more diffuse structure cannot: accountability and the possibility of dynamism. ‘The boss,’ as Howe argued at the turn of the century, ‘appears under any system, whether the government be lodged with the mayor, the council, with boards, or commissions.’ But under a strong mayor, the exercise of power is easily identified: ‘Attention can be focussed [sic] on a single official, whereas it is difficult to follow boards, commissions, or a large council, each member of which is seeking to shift the burden of responsibility onto someone else.’ The diffusion of political authority both generates confusion and creates political tension between executive officials. As one weak mayor told his constituents, ‘The buck doesn’t stop here. See the city manager.’ (Citations omitted)”
Change is not always easy or desirable, but sometimes it is necessary to move forward—or not. I hope everyone in Malibu will consider this issue.
Let the debate begin and let it begin with “we!”
Pamela Conley Ulich