A few years ago, the Poulsbo City Council came to an agreement that it would no longer endorse taxes of its citizenry or candidates as an elected group. While individual members were free and clear to do so on their own, they decided that as a whole, it wasn’t fitting for them to do so.
Where this decision went, nobody seems to know, but it’s obviously no longer adhered to anymore. Is it an issue of free speech? Some may argue yes, but if memory serves this paper correctly, the original thinking was that the council as an elected body should not take a position on such issues, i.e. use its political clout, to back one election or another.
The council doesn’t endorse political candidates, after all. So is it OK for them to back political causes? We say no.
The council is elected to make decisions for those it serves and should not stray into a role where it is influencing — consciously or subconsciously — how the public decides.
Friday morning, the Herald touched base with former Mayor Donna Jean Bruce, who confirmed that the unwritten policy did exist during her tenure. Bruce raised an excellent point in that if the council is going to endorse levies and the like, why not also endorse candidates?
Good question, DJ.
No doubt the public would view this as stepping over the line as an elected body. It also begs the question as to whether or not the council can then opt not to endorse future levies (school, library, etc.) that have the best interest of the residents in mind as well.
If, for instance, the council is asked to back the library levy and says “no,” there is the valid perception that the city — not the individual council members mind you — does not value the Kitsap Regional Library System.
The question here isn’t whether or not the election issues are important, but whether or not an elected body that speaks for city as whole should endorse in such cases. Again, the Herald feels the answer is no, because where do you draw the line?
Or — more importantly — can you redraw it, once it has already been crossed?
