“Do the ‘Karsky’ “
The public is invited to attend a reception from 6–6:45 p.m., Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West Tenth Street. The event will honor Councilors Kenny Anderson Jr., Greg Jamison, Dean Karsky, and Kermit Staggers whose terms end on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Following the reception, the outgoing councilors will be recognized at their 7 p.m. regular meeting with a public service recognition award.
• Councilor Anderson Jr. was elected in 2008 to represent the Northeast District. He was reelected in 2012.
• Councilor Jamison was elected in 2008 to represent the Southwest District. He was reelected in 2012.
• Councilor Karsky was appointed in 2011 to the Northwest District seat vacated by Bob Litz. He was elected in 2012.
• Councilor Staggers was elected in 2012 as an At-Large City Council Member. He also represented the Central District from 2002–2010.
These Councilors were term limited. With the exception of Karsky, they tried and failed to subdue Huether. The new council composure is refreshing but the real problem is the mayor has dictatorial power. The present city charter is not democracy. It allows the mayor to ignore constitutional law and reign not unlike a king. Worse, he regularly violates citizen civil rights.
There’s no reason to commend outgoing council puppets nor should new council composure be celebrated. What’s needed is mayoral recall and prosecution. Present ordinances do not provide for or address this. It got erased with other due process once the mayor appointed the present city attorney. A city attorney who announces openly he represents the mayor and not the city.
Election day was the celebration. Perhaps some of the new council member’s will address this and give lead the way to give the power back to the people not the person.
I will miss Kermit though. He is an honorable man.