Increases Council Size, Clarifies Residency Requirements and Effect of Vacancy.
Question: Shall the Charter provide for election of two at-large and four ward Councilors and revise Council residency requirements?
Summary:
This measure amends Sections 3 .1 and 3 .2 of the City Charter. The measure would provide for a City Council consisting of a Mayor, two Councilors elected at large, and four Councilors elected from wards established by ordinance. The measure would provide that, after adoption, one at-large Councilor and two ward Councilors are elected at each general election to four-year terms.
At the first election following adoption, two at-large Councilors would be elected. One would serve a two-year term, and one would serve a four-year term to establish staggered terms. The measure would also clarify residency qualifications. Ward Councilors would be required to reside in the ward they represent. At-large Councilors would be required to reside within the City. A Councilor who no longer satisfies applicable residency requirements would forfeit office and the position would become vacant.
The measure also removes language describing the effect of vacancies on Council membership.
Do we need this? What problem will two more Councilors solve?
Measure 4-244 would expand Astoria’s Council from five members to seven: the Mayor, four ward Councilors and two new at-large Councilors.
That is a 40% increase in Council size. Astoria’s population has not grown. Why should our government grow?
Will two more decision makers make decisions easier? Better? Faster?
At $500 per month each, six Councilors would cost taxpayers $36,000 per year in pay alone.
That excludes the Mayor’s pay and any costs to make room for seven members in Council chambers and any associated costs for this experiment.
Our ward system gives each part of Astoria its own representative. Adding two at-large Councilors means your ward’s Councilor would have one vote out of seven instead of one out of five.
How does weakening each ward’s voting power improve representation for its residents?
Before changing the structure of Astoria’s government, voters should be shown a problem, facts proving it exists and an explanation of how two Councilors would solve it.
We should know what results to expect and how success would be measured. More seats are not proof of better government.
This measure changes residency rules and removes Charter language about what happens when Council seats are vacant. Those separate issues should not be bundled with a 40% increase in Council size.
Before voting, ask:
- What problem requires seven members instead of five?
- What will taxpayers gain for the added cost?
- Will more voices improve decisions or bog them down?
- Why bundle Council expansion with other Charter changes?
More time. More money. More bureaucracy. Where is the evidence of better results?
Keep four wards, four ward Councilors and one Mayor.
VOTE NO ON MEASURE 4-244.VOTE NO: Measure 4-425 Requires Council Approval of Mayor’s Appointments and Removals