Tulsans for Badder Government

[Double A]

Citizens for Responsible Government(the recall people) are back under a new name:

A group plans to seek a vote on reconfiguring the City Council.

A bipartisan group is seeking to reconfigure the City Council structure to include three at-large members and six members elected from districts.
The group, Tulsans for a Better Government, filed an initiative petition with the City Clerk's Office on Thursday to begin the process of seeking a special election for a city charter amendment.

"The city is at a crossroads in its next renaissance. What has gone on over the past year has really been sad," said Chip McElroy, spokesman for the group, which also is represented by attorney Ted Sherwood.

"We feel the word 'city' or 'Tulsa' has been left out of the City Council for the past year," said McElroy, president of McElroy Manufacturing.

He said the group's members think the council's lack of at-large members to look out for the best interests of the whole city has led to "the ward politics that is potentially hurting Tulsa."

McElroy said there is "a sentiment of people who strongly support Mayor Bill LaFortune and have had great disappointment with the City Council's discharge of duties. People don't like the parochial nature the council is practicing."

The petition seeks to have LaFortune call the election 60 days after the petition -- complete with the signatures of registered Tulsa voters -- is filed with the City Clerk's Office.

To have an election called, McElroy said, the petition will need 10,000 signatures. The group has 90 days from Thursday to collect the signatures.

The petition asks whether the city charter should be amended to have six election districts and three councilors elected at-large effective in the 2008 general election.

McElroy said the group is suggesting that the current Council District 1 remain as it is and that the remaining eight districts be reduced to five. Those councilors would continue to serve two-year terms.

The at-large councilors would initially serve two-year terms, and thereafter they would serve four-year terms to coincide with the mayor's term of office.

The petition seeks to amend the following six sections of the charter: Creation and Functions of the Council; Election of Mayor and Councilors; Council Terms; Election Districts; Election District Commission; and Adjustment of District Boundaries.

The charter establishes an Election District Commission that was used to create the current form of government.

The commission consisted of three members. The governing bodies of the two largest political parties would each appoint one commissioner, and the mayor would appoint the third commissioner. All three would be subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the entire council membership.

The amendment would force the commission to convene "as soon as practicable" after the amendment is approved.

The charter mandates that districts "consist of contiguous, compact territory and be as nearly equal in population as possible."

The boundary lines also must conform with precinct boundaries, and at least one public hearing on the proposed district plan must be held. Notice of the hearing is also required.

McElroy said the group polled residents to determine whether support existed for such a change before a grassroots, bipartisan effort formed to launch the petition campaign.

The group is broad-based and includes business owners and civic leaders, he said, adding that it has the support of the mayor and a handful of councilors.

"The group believes this change will be in the best interest of the city," he said.

What a load of crap! If this makes it to the ballot I will definitely campaign and vote against it. The fact that Lafotune is supporting this is enough to make me want to re-register as Republican just so I can vote against his sorry donkey in the primary. What do you think? Take the poll:

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2519