Editor, the Asbury Park Sun,
I will vote YES on Tuesday’s ballot question for Asbury Park to adopt a modified form of government.
1. STAGGERED TERMS. Nobody seems to be against them, yet no sitting council seems likely to adopt them. With a “yes” vote on Tuesday voters can take the matter directly into their own hands and staggered terms will become a reality, period.
2. RUNOFFS. Might not be right for every town, but a great idea for a diverse place like Asbury Park. Knowing that they have to get more than 50% in the end, candidates will need to appeal to all segments of the city, discouraging the mentality of ‘gay votes gay’ and ‘black votes black,’ et cetera. That kind of “identity partisanship” presents a greater risk to good and stable government in Asbury Park than any risk of party politics in my opinion. Maybe a smaller sample will show up for the runoff, but playing to narrow constituencies will not be rewarded. What will be rewarded is candidates who seek to build healing coalitions rather than deepen historically determined divisions.
3. MOVING THE ELECTION TO NOVEMBER. Will bring about greater participation, and there still won’t be any party affiliation allowed, on the ballot or elsewhere. Indeed, the parties will be busy with higher hanging fruit and less likely to have time for meddling in our local affairs. And once staggered terms kick in, the influence of ad-hoc tickets will diminish as well.
4. DIRECTLY ELECTED MAYOR. Even if the position of mayor is more ceremony than substance, why not let the voters decide directly who they want leading their ceremonies? What we have now encourages just-elected council members to make back room deals even before they’ve been sworn in. If it’s just a ceremonial position, why did some think it worth stirring up an awful lot of trouble in order to have their way about it?
5. CHANCE FOR A DO-OVER. I’m going to be brutally honest here. The swearing in on July 1st was indicative of a disrespect for voters that many of us found immensely disheartening. Three and a half more years of the same might prove exciting for those who love politics, but will be horrible for those who just want good government. Many people would like the opportunity to vote again, knowing what we know now.
Overall, I feel that the changes recommended by the Charter Study Commission represent a tweaking of our government that will reduce the “politics” aspect a little and boost the “democracy” aspect significantly. I will be voting YES.
Jeffrey Seeds
Asbury Park
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