A recent editorial in the local Woodstock paper, critized the City of Canton for having too many committees and apparently too much public input. It seems very contradictory for a newspaper to suggest that less citizen involvement is a good thing. The article indicated that the City of Canton had some 18 committees. Actually, included in this number were authorities and boards over which the City has no operational control. For instance, the Board of Trustees of the Cherokee County Library System. The City has one appointment to this Board and no control over the operation of the library system.
The editorial critized me (Mayor Gene Hobgood) for appointing a citizens advisory committee to study the City of Canton Charter and make recommendations to the Mayor for improvements. The 15 member group has been working hard to suggest corrections to an out-dated Charter which most of the Council members had indicated needed attention. In my opinion the Charter should state as clearly as possible the duties and responsibilities of the Mayor, Council and City Manager. Vague portions of the Charter along with complete contradictions, create conflict among the divisions of our City government. These should be corrected and provisions of the Charter should be made clear. I deeply appreciate the work and efforts of the 15 member committee. I look forward to their recommendations in the next few months.
One of my major goals for City government upon my election three years ago, was to make it more transparent to the public and to get our City Council involved in the decision making process. I wanted our City to be what it's citizens wanted it to be; not just dictated to by the City.
Normally I don't respond in kind to editorials critical of me or my administration. However this editorial seemed to be unusual in that it indicated less citizen involvement was better. The criticism was based on little information. Three different media outlets are notified well in advance of a government study committee meeting. Some of the media have attended. The source of the editorial critical of the committee however has never had a reporter attend the meeting to actually see what it was all about. Neither did the reporter ever call the Mayor or any one of the fifteen committee members with questions about their activities. This is simply poor journalism. I understand the duty of a journalist to keep the public informed even to pass critical judgment on government activities; but to do so uninformed is unforgivable. Nevertheless, perhaps I expect too much; accuracy and an article by an thoroughly informed journalist.
I will continue my efforts to keep the doors open and the lights on for all city activities. The public has a right to know and a right to see their business conducted. Sunshine Laws were passed for a reason. While this may seem like a simple thing to do, you would be surprised at the road blocks that get thrown in front of this effort. This City must continue to get citizen involvement in all important issues affecting this City. The more input we have through committees and public involvement, the more likely we are to have the kind of City our citizens desire. The kind of City we have is not the decision of the Mayor or City Council alone, but that of it's citizens.
Your input is important!
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