LAST WEEK: WHY AREN’T THERE MORE CANDIDATES IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS?
While some of the municipal elections scheduled for Nov. 3 appear to be hotly contested, many more are not. In fact, a few dozen cities in metro Atlanta won’t even allow residents to vote because all seats up for election are uncontested. For example, three of the 11 Fulton County cities with races this fall won’t have elections because each seat has only one candidate.
As we see the crowded field of those vying for the highest office in the land, what do you think should be done to attract more candidates to local races?
Here’s what some readers had to say:
Money is always an incentive. I believe the key to attracting more candidates to local municipal elections would be to offer a bigger paycheck for the position. Mayor and city council positions require a great deal of time in cities that are experiencing unprecedented growth. — Larry Attig
Why the hell would a normal person want to run for any political office? Apparently these cities just don't have enough ambitious jackholes who want to get into politics and order people around. — DrGonzo
They don't have money and power. — Nathan Soutter
Maybe people are sick to death of establishment Democrat and Republican jerks running everything, but because Georgia has the most restrictive ballot access laws in the US, it's not worth the effort to try to run as an independent or 3rd party candidate. — Sara Foster
Because politicians are crooks ! That's why Donald Trump is leading the presidential race. People are sick of politicians and the government wasting are money and making bad decisions in our lives. — Troy Elenbaas
I like to think that most people are satisfied with the effort that those in office are doing and do not think they could do better. — JW Landress
I think, as a general rule, municipalities don't do a very good job "advertising" deadlines for candidate qualification. Most cities have FB, Instagram and Twitter accounts and could use them to better promote qualifying and get more people energized about the process. Perhaps they *don't really want* contested races? — Jennifer Biser Thatcher
— Dionne Kinch for the AJC
Decatur is the only metro-area municipality that doesn’t popularly elect its mayor, instead appointing the position annually from among its five-person commission.
The mayor doesn’t have a whole lot more power or responsibility than other commissioners in a government headed by the city manager, a position that in Decatur has been held by only two people in the last 41 years.
Former commissioner John Ridley, who’s running for the city’s at-large seat this fall, wants to change that. He has adopted the slogan “John Ridley for Mayor,” and in a recent press release calls for a mayor with “appropriate executive authority,” and a shifting away from a strong city manager.
Former Mayor Bill Floyd also favors an elected four-year mayor, but insists he differs sharply from Ridley’s conception.
“I still want a strong [city] manager,” Floyd said. “Internally the city’s run very efficiently — I want the exact same government we have now.
“But a four-year mayor,” he said, “can build relationships outside the city. A four-year mayor can build relationships with other mayors, other city governments and legislators. A one year mayor doesn’t have the authority to speak for the city outside the city.”
Outgoing Mayor Jim Baskett prefers the current system where the title remains honorary.
In an email to the AJC shortly after his first appointment in 2014, Baskett stated his belief that an elected mayor would be driven more by a “personal agenda” than city interests.
“Look around at the many dysfunctional governments,” he said, “and compare them to Decatur. I am not interested in modeling them.”
We’d like to hear your ideas on a popularly elected, four-year mayor vs. an annually appointed one.
Send comments by email to communitynews@ajc.com.
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