By Noah Dawson

Tax hikes. Public debt. Growing distrust. Controversy. Even if the legacy for our current city government were set in stone today, those would be the key points of those looking back in years ahead. There is still time for change between now and the next city council election in May. Unfortunately, it seems that our city council is determined to solidify those points while adding more to the list. There is a bright side though. Voters have a chance to defeat some of the most egregious actions ever attempted by city hall at the ballot box now by voting against Props A-C.

Proposition A is a terrible plan with an astronomical price tag. It’s filled with tons of waste that might make some of the worst spending bills passed through Washington DC blush. Those pushing the plan know that it cannot be promoted based on its merits. Instead, it is being defended with threats that events might leave, even though the plan is still subpar when compared with competing venues. If our city wanted to keep events here in Amarillo, they should have given voters a competitive plan. Instead, they squandered that opportunity. They claim we need to be forward thinking while refusing to give attention to the issues actually facing the city. And, whenever they do focus on issues, they wait until the issues reach a crisis point, where they then force the city into ultimatums that could have been avoided.

Even with all of that said, Propositions B and C might be even worse. This November, we will also be electing a new congressman. Whoever wins the election will be headed to our nation’s capital, where they will have a hand in the governance of the most powerful nation to ever exist. Then, after two years, their term will end, and they will have to convince voters they should be allowed to continue in their job if they want to keep it. Currently, our city council also operates on two-year terms, but Prop B would double that length. If one can govern the most powerful nation to ever exist in two years, it is utterly absurd to think that the arguments that city council needs four have any merit whatsoever. There are plenty of people in this city who know our local government, and I am confident that many would be ready to perform the duties of the role tomorrow if elected today. In fact, our organizational structure gives us an advantage, as our city’s structure is built around the corporate model, with the council being the board, the mayor the chair, and the city manager the CEO. So, you can add in any of the numerous people in our city with business experience to the list of people qualified to understand our local government.

Even though our city government seems to think it takes longer terms to perform the duties of the city council, they also think they should only have to show up to work half as often. Prop C would cut the number of city council meeting times in half. Never in my life have I seen someone outside of government be so entitled that they think it is permissible to claim it is acceptable to only put in at most a couple hours of work every other week. And, while many in our city are struggling to keep food on the plate, the city defends this idea by pointing to “modern societal practices of taking holidays and personal time off by council and senior staff.” Cry me a river.