If you are having problems viewing this page please click here to update your flash player.
Submitted News About Us Links RSS Letter to the Editor Cody Tourism Subscribe Carrier Application Employment Yellow Pages Special Sections Quick Links   Real Estate   Automotive  Archive Search  

Opinion

Council applicants offer fine selection
By Bruce McCormack


This document was published online on Monday, January 12, 2009

Printable     E-mail     Archives     2 comment(s) Comments    

We can’t remember the last time such a great group of people lined up to seek one city council seat.

For pure number of candidates, much less their relative high quality, it’s been many years since there was so much interest in either running for or being appointed to one council seat.

On Tuesday night the city council will interview the five Cody men seeking to fill the remaining two years on Mayor Nancy Tia Brown’s west Cody council seat.

Every one of these five would make a good council member “ there’s just not a weak link in the bunch. All of them would have been the better candidate in many past council races.

We are glad to see the variety of leadership and business backgrounds represented by this group. In recent years the Cody City Council has been a bit short on small business owners or proprietors. Now, we have three such people, including two who are new to the council.

The five applicants include three owners or proprietors, one retired corporate staffer and a top institutional manager.

We also like that these are five generally positive people. Put another way, there’s not an “agginer” or person with an axe to grind in the group. Thankfully, because it doesn’t take much negative attitude to pollute an otherwise good board.

It’s unclear to us why there’s such high interest in this particular position, but we’ll just welcome it as good for the community.

The city has numerous challenges and opportunities ahead and we’re anxious for this seventh member to join the council so a full team is in place at City Hall.
Printable     E-mail     Archives     Comments    

Reader Comments

JD wrote on Jan 14, 2009 10:19 AM:

" Dewey,

First the 6 voter who will decide the replacment for Brown were elected by the people of Cody and they represent the people of their ward (not themselves). What gives you the right to trash any of these canidates without knowing why they want to be on the Council. You have not walked the walk, but you sure talk the talk. It might be that the only postion open in that ward was held by Steve Miller, one of the most popular Councilmen. Not someone most new canidates wants to face. The only other unchallenged seat was in ward 2 where there was 2 canidates up until the last day to file (when Rankin moved to Mayor). Is Fritz qualified, maybe - maybe not, it's to early to tell.

The biggest reason for a lack of canidates during elections is likely the cost of campaigning. The chance to get named to the Council with virtualy no cost can be very attractive. "

Dewey wrote on Jan 13, 2009 8:46 AM:

" But the point really is : Where are these same fine caliber candidates during the regular election cycle ? Why do these fine caliber candidates wait to be appointed instead of duly elected ? Have any of these fine caliber folks previously walked the walk ?--- because to recieve the office by appointment is merely to talk the talk , and the " election" is before a constituency of what , 6 whole voters ? They don't have to convince a few thousand citizens of their merits, they only have to hornswaggle as few as three sitting councilmen with prepared remarks, winks and nods, and a deft application of a backscratcher.It goes beyond the absurd in Cody to see a City Council with a few too many buffoons and lackeys who got there because no good candidates could be found to run against them, and we suffer them. This stage door appointment process so CHEAPENS the process we call Civic Democracy as to render it impotent. None of these fine caliber candidates should be given serious consideration if they have not previously walked the walk towards public office "

 

Leave Your Comments

(optional)
Current Word Count:
   

The Cody Enterprise encourages you to share your thoughts. Comments are not posted to the site immediately. They must first be read by moderators. We try to be prompt, but moderation time varies depending on time of day and the day of the week. We reserve the right to remove comments.

If you have questions or find a comment to be offensive, please contact us.

 Popular Searches
More Enhanced Listings >>

Cody Enterprise Search

Google
Home | Classifieds | Local News | Sports | Opinion | Obituaries | Cody Tourism | Yellow Pages | Archives | Links | Stocks
Entertainment | Town Hall | Guestbook | Wyoming Press Association

All contents copyright by Cody Enterprise, Copyright © 2009