Loyal readers, like my mother, will know I have gotten angry when good public servants go on the campaign trail before finishing their elective terms. I don’t mind so much when politicians do the same. This brings us to the subject of Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy’s absence for the foreseeable future from city council meetings. Bellamy is running for Congress. That’s swell, as Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer has a track record of ending council meetings in an hour or two.
Of more concern, is the practice of jumping into a widening chasm to avoid putting both feet on either side. Former Asheville City Councilman Bill Russell got burnt in the blogosphere after his second absence from gay “rights”* votes. It may have been coincidental. Russell was absent from a whole lot of meetings. Then again, he was a win-win kind of guy who appeared to value friendship more than political status. Contrary to what is taught in high-school essay writing classes, the right answer is usually a mish-mash somewhere between the extremes.
Back to the mayor, for years, she would pull from the consent agenda for a separate vote requests to allow alcoholic beverages at city celebrations. She courageously cast lone nay votes, which old pro reporters attributed to her religious beliefs. Similar convictions caused the mayor to get a lot of grief from opinionated people about town who did not like her voting against gay “rights.”
I could elaborate, but people are not elected to office to increase their future electability by running for shelter when the hard decisions come along. Leaders should have the serenity to hold fast to their principles if they really believe them, courage to jettison them if they don’t, and the wisdom not to skip out on meetings when their principles are on trial.
*I’m putting this in quotes because healthcare is not a right.
