May 02, 2007
Editorial

Reversing Decisions

Last week, we applauded the Caliente City Council, and their decision to add a watered-down non-binding version of the controversial question regarding the Caliente Electric Utility on the June 5 ballot.

Last Wednesday, the City Council voted to reverse that decision, and actually include the original version of the initiative, and accept it as binding.

We’re reversing our decision as well.

We applaud the City Council for deciding to officially include the question on the ballot.

It truly is the right call.

However, information that has surfaced over the last week surrounding this decision leads us to believe that the Caliente Electric Utility may not be the only thing broken and in need of repair.

It may be time for some parts to be replaced within the Caliente City government.

First, one thing hasn’t changed.

It’s probably not in the best interest of the people for the city to give up control of the electric utility.

Yes, it’s gotten expensive, and it needs a lot of work, but there are significant advantages to keeping it in place.

The biggest advantage is the notion that the electric customers, meaning the voters, have more control than they would if an outside company rolled in.

Sadly, while a small group has been screaming about the poor management of the utility, they’ve been screaming at the wrong people.

They should be screaming at themselves.

The people of Caliente have control.

They have simply failed to exercise it.

If the citizens are unhappy with the way the electric company has been run, instead of dumping the utility, they should have dumped those running it.

That hasn’t been the case.

The reason may be that the people realize it’s a tough job, and that the current city councilmen have been doing the best they can in a nearly impossible situation.

Overall, the city council involves some pretty good people.

However, those same councilmen have to be held accountable for the way things have been going.

One thing that is unconscionable is the fact that the Caliente city government has tried to squash the petition and keep it from reaching the ballot.

Twice.

That is unforgivable.

A city government should NEVER use bureaucratic shuffling and legal maneuvering to stop the people from expressing their opinion and direction with their votes.

By trying to keep the petition question off the ballot, they are blatantly telling their constituents “we don’t want to hear from you.”

It took threats of legal action to finally make them do the right thing, which is to allow the petition initiative to appear on the June 5 ballot.

But perhaps even more distressing is the way things may have been bungled at City Hall.

Rumors continue to run rampant about lost paperwork and billing snafus.

While they won’t admit it, the recent petition turnaround may be evidence that the city managed to lose or misplace the original petition affidavit, forcing the petition’s authors to produce proof that it had been filed properly.

There have also been statements made that the city is sometimes less than forthcoming with answers when citizens have questions.

We can confirm the truth of that statement.

Last week, when we called the city for something as innocuous as phone numbers for the four city council candidates, which are public records, we were stonewalled.

This isn’t the first time we’ve been denied information we have requested.

It’s obvious that something is broken at City Hall.

Regardless of who may or may not be at fault, it falls on the heads of the City Council to fix it, just as it’s their job to fix the problems with the electric utility.

But most important is the fact that the City Council needs to be responsive to the people.

That includes accepting petitions and initiatives that they may find distasteful instead of going through extreme measures to keep such questions off the ballot and out of the citizens’ hands.

This is America.

People must be allowed to have their say.