This is the third in a series of articles about the upcoming election of borough councilors in Columbia.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

When voters vote for public servants to represent them at any level of government, they are voting for someone whom they believe will represent their best interests. Ideally, those interests are ones that provide shared benefit, costs and impacts equally. Ideally, in democratic society, special interests are subordinated for the general good.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

It is not always possible to see the full picture of any candidate at any level. What many citizens then look for is the record of performance; the evidence of trustworthiness and honesty in past practice. What many citizens look for too is information on the candidate’s views and perceptions.

In Lancaster, candidates for city council publicly revealed their impressions on why they are seeking office in a recent article in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era.

• Joel Charles – “My big thing is to see that there is discussion and open dialogue,”
• John Graupera wants “to keep the city moving in a positive direction.”
• James Reichenbach says “People don’t want a Democrat. They don’t want a Republican. They want a person — a person who will listen to them.”
• Marilyn Schnee “said she wants to open city government to its citizens. ‘It’s extremely difficult to get information as to what the budget is and what is being spent,’ she said. ‘If nothing else, I’d like to open up government. We’re paying taxes, and we should know where the money is being spent.’”
• Barbara Wilson believes “part of the challenge is convincing (citizens) of the importance of local government in the lives of people and that they should vote in the off-year election.”

In an earlier article about financial disclosure, we wrote,

“In November, Columbians will be electing people to represent them as borough councilors and school board members. Each of the folks running for office completed the above form. Some time ago, we wondered about the information that some of the aspirants either included or omitted from their SEC-1. Another Columbia information site (ColumbiaPAOnline, March and April 2011 postings)  made observations and asked about the submissions, too.

“The truthful and accurate completion of this form, seemingly, is a foretelling of the ethical representation the aspirant will exhibit when elected. Misrepresentation of data; failure to disclose or “flat-out” deception can be indicators of character or “forgetfulness.”

“Character is what citizens will be voting for in November. In the next few weeks, we will be posing questions about some of the candidates’ responses. We think that citizens want and deserve honesty and truthfulness in disclosure requirements. Honesty and truthfulness are requirements for good governance.”

We wonder about some of the responses the required SEC-1 forms, too. We wonder whether some of the apparent omissions on some of the forms are indicators of forgetfulness, dishonesty or untruthfulness. We wonder too:

• Whether managing, owning or operating a retail business is a source of income?
• Whether selling real estate is a source of income?
• Whether a payment over the stipulated amount on the SEC-1 from an educational facility is a source of income?
• Whether multiple properties ownership is a source of income?

This series will continue tomorrow when you will read the candidates’ responses to these questions posed to them.

1. What do you see as Columbia’s three most significant obstacles to economic growth in the next three years?
2. What qualities, characteristics and/or expertise make you ultimately most qualified for the position of borough councilor?
3. Columbia’s taxes rank near the top of all boroughs in the county; what will you do to help moderate the property tax burden for Columbia’s citizens?
4. What are your thoughts on the borough’s downtown revitalization efforts? How much do you think the borough should spend annually on this project?
5. Many believe that walking police patrols benefit communities; would you consider supporting walking police patrols in the Borough?