After seeing the hammering that Tommy Tomlinson has taken for daring to suggest no rubber-stamp for Susan Burgess’ wish to have her son take her spot on Charlotte city council I’ve had to jump. I could see both sides of appointing Jason Burgess to the slot. But for me it comes down to the fact that it is an at-large seat.
Voters — all the voters — simply do not have many ways to directly impact Charlotte government. The at-large seats on the council are the only way for Charlotteans to have a direct voice in the hiring and firing (ha!) of city managers or police chiefs. And, unfortunately, given the recent performance of Curt Walton and Rodney Monroe, there is much for the citizenry to be concerned about.
Then, add in the sudden interest in breaking all the supposed hard and fast rules about who funds what. Shorthand, if the city is now going to help fund libraries out of the General Fund, why not pay for prosecutors or teacher out of money “set-aside” for the NASCAR Hall or Uptown arts largess?
In short, boom times might have allowed city government a nice gesture to a long-time public servant. That time is past. This reality should remind us to look far, far removed from local government offices for any kind of eternal statement or meaning.
