||| FROM JANE FULLER, CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSIONER |||
As one of a super majority of 18 elected volunteer CRC Commissioners who supports the six charter amendments on the November ballot I wanted to reach out to voters who have not yet cast their ballots, share some key facts to consider, and dispel some of the misinformation and false narratives that are circulating in the lead up to the election:
- The proposed charter amendments on the ballot are not illegal.
- The proposed charter amendments are not a collection of costly initiatives that will draw down on County finances.They cost little to no money and will not bankrupt the county government.
- The proposed charter amendments bring residents of the county closer to their local government providing opportunity for direct engagement and oversight on important and pressing issues such as climate change, the environment and justice and equity. They do not add to the local government’s bureaucracy or red tape.
- The two proposed commissions (Climate and Environment and Justice, Equity, and Inclusion) would be made up of volunteers. There are no boards or commissions on which residents can work directly with the county on these issues. Moreover, it is time the County undertake a thorough review of the existing boards and commissions to determine if some are defunct and dismantle them.
- The freeholders of this County had a blueprint for the Charter that served its purpose back in 2005. Times have changed as have the issues facing our County now and in the future. It is time for our Charter, our local Constitution, to be reflective of the core issues of our time and be fit for purpose to ensure our county is governed transparently and accountably in the best interests of residents today, and tomorrow.
If you haven’t yet voted, please go to the website of the CRC and learn about the purpose behind these amendments. The findings that substantiate them are there to be read. Better yet, contact one of the elected Commissioners who sat on the CRC for the last 10 months and researched and deliberated these issues with input from hundreds of residents of the County, officials from San Juan and other charter counties, and experts on these issues. Then cast your ballot for our County’s future! Vote yes!”
The story can be told. It’s short.
1. The elected commissioners became quickly under the impression that they could create a constitution for the county, and were encouraged to be bold. They were.
2. This resulted in communications from their lawyer, which had two effects. (a) the realization that they could create bodies to review and recommend county actions along with procedural actions such as requiring extra certifications from (as it turns out) the smaller contractors with county business, and (b) suppression of correspondence from counsel while insisting that the county increase its transparency to the public.
3. As to the substantive effect of these statements of good faith, goodwill and as a commissioner myself, I have to ask myself, “What do these propositions actually DO?” The words and concepts we care about deeply are bandied about with no substantive effect. Putting it more bluntly, “It’s all icing and no cake.”
4. As a lawyer myself, there are times to assert attorney-client privilege: where a party with opposing interests can use it against you. The Charter Review Commission has no legal interests hostile to either the county or its citizens. The continued assertion of this privilege in this context in my opinion can only be to treat both the county and its citizens as hostile in either a legal sense, or because it might impact the election.
If you haven’t yet voted, please review your Voters’ Guide and read the arguments for and against each proposed amendment. If you go to CRC website, please review the minority report as well as the majority findings. Please make up your own mind and then vote.
Again, Bill Appel identifies the exact problem with the propositions. All show, no substance. Bill Appel served as a commissioner and knows what transpired. NO ON THE CHARTER PROPOSITIONS.