The Ypsilanti Daily Press

Public
Opinion

Discussion of any subject of general interest is invited in these columns. Writer's name must be given but may be withheld from print if desired.

CITY COUNCIL ABDICATES

We do not pretend to know anything about the justice of the demands of the city employees made through their union last week. For the sake of argument we will assume that they should have received the increases awarded them by the citizens committee.

But we do think that it is the business of the Mayor and Council to establish salaries for city employees and that they have no right to pass that duty on to a hand picked citizens committee.

The electors of Ypsilanti chose to elect certain men to represent them in city affairs. They did not authorize them to pass the buck (and escape their obligations) to any one else.

The members of the citizens committee may be the smartest men in the city, but they are not smart enough to meet for a few hours and decide what salaries should be paid to city employees. A lot of time would have to be given in the study of this matter before anyone would be able to make an intelligent decision. The mayor and council have been on the job for years and they are the ones whom the voters expected to look after their interests.

It appears to me that our mayor and council have very little to do with running the city of Ypsilanti. They are elected by the people to do so then a lot of commissions are appointed who have almost absolute authority over their departments.

Each department works for its own interests and there is little thought of the interests of the property owners who pay the tax bills.

According to the Press the Council voted to keep the citizens' committee permanent and the motion was carried by only three dissenting votes. All honor to these three councilmen who had self respect and honor to refuse to abdicate and "pass the buck" to somebody else.

Apparently at least three councilmen think that the people who elected them expect them to do their duty, accept responsibility whether pleasant or unpleasant, and they refuse to abdicate.

Maybe this incident shows all too clearly the need for a new form of government. It looks to me like we need a council with authority; a manager like a big corporation who will give his full time to running the Ypsilanti Corporation; and a personnel director, like practically every large company has today, who will be on the job continually.

As it turns out, we have a council who abdicates, a citizens committee who gives a few minutes thought to the complicated labor problems and then the home owner "is sold down the river" and has another $50,000 tax bill piled onto him. Unless the folks who pay the taxes wake up, they will be taxed out of their homes just like they were a few years ago. Will history repeat?

Signed:
TAXPAYER