Letter: City, county board members exceed their authority

Friday, Oct. 15, 1999 | 8:11 a.m.

Once again, county commissioners and city councilmen prove that there is no good reason to have district representation or election; that is, unless one wants to be "king of the hill" among a few constituents. These "leaders," though they may be a product of their individual districts, impose ordinances which continually erode and curtail the rights of all, and place themselves in a position as spokesmen for everyone within the entire jurisdiction and enclaves without restriction to their own election base.

Their nose goes where it doesn't belong, such as in the continual skirmish between union and nonunion, commercial-enterprise situations, and become "experts" in zoning mastery, changing the peaceful existence of property owners everywhere by disregarding neighborhood preservation and thrusting incompatible uses into them, ignoring every form of petition or vote majority to instill those changes.

As commissioners and councilmen, they also become an integral part of other committees which manipulate and exercise control in so many other facets of infrastructure management, such as wetlands, conventions, resort propaganda, water distribution and myriad others. Add to that the fact that when one has a special "exercise" going on in his district, the others (politicians) get flustered or jealous and demand equal coverage within their own "state" and "homeland." No wonder government is spendthrift and out-of-control.

For these reasons, everyone elected to serve in positions of such responsibility should be elected at-large, and maybe we could get a few more that would govern us impartially and without special agendas that run counterproductive to truly responsible government and representation.

AARON LESTER