It's important that the council consider the straw poll system. This is an effort to depoliticize the election process and strengthen the working relationships of Ogden City Council members.
It [secret balloting] makes the election of officers less political ... and gives the council ability to vote how they believe. It allows less animosity and keeps those elections from being a polarizing event that keeps us from being able to do the work of the council.
It's never a good idea to try to reduce council animosity by taking away from the public decisions and rationales that they have a right to hear about. In other words, the secret straw polls should not be used as anger-management therapy.
Tip-top editorial in this morning's Standard-Examiner, joining with Weber County Forum in condemning last Tuesday's 5-2 Council decision to "switch operating procedures to allow secret, anonymous straw poll balloting for nominating and selecting its chairman and vice-chairman each January":
• OUR VIEW: Council adopts bad ideaThe Standard-Examiner is exactly right. This mendacious procedure, sneakily crafted to sidestep the technical requirements of Utah's Open Meetings Act, amounts to nothing less than an audacious violation of the spirit of the law.
Weber County Forum Tips O' The Hat go all around this morning... to Council members Van Hooser and Wicks, who voted against the amendment... and to the Standard-Examiner editorial board, for publicly saying what needed to be said.
And to the rest of the council (Blair, Garner, Gochnour, Stephens & Stephenson), who decided to hide their council leadership votes behind a veil of secrecy... a very nice bronze "consolation" trophy:
Clearly there are five council members who just don't "get it."Don't let the cat get yer tongues, O Gentle Ones...
