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What is this?
Residents harmed by court action
Published 10:35 a.m., March 16, 2010
Am I missing something here with this bunch of well-heeled guys who call themselves Fergus Grows trying to stop the citizens of this town from voting on a referendum they legally petitioned to get on the ballot? They argue that the city will waste $13,000 on an election for an ordinance that their lawyers will then challenge as vague.
Isn't that called "prior restraint"? Assuming something might turn out with an unforeseen consequence, so you prevent anything at all from happening? Threaten that if a law is passed, you will challenge the law in court, so a judge says, well then, let’s stop the law from being passed?
And what is $13,000 for an election compared to $8.5 million for the hockey rink? They ought to call themselves Fergus Grows Debt, or maybe Fergus Grows Bankrupt, or Fergus Grows Idiotic?
And the city attorney, who is supposed to defend the actions of the city, including lawful elections conducted under rules of the city charter, lets on to the court that it won't be harmed by denying the people the election they earned by collecting the signatures for the petition and election? Aren't the signers of the petition the city, its members, and aren't their rights being harmed by the city attorney's weak defense of their rights?
From the city atttorney's comments you could think he is relieved that he won't have to protect the rights of the petitioners to participate in their city government by taking issue with the city council. Maybe the mayor ought to appoint a special counsel who will go back to court and fight a vigorous appeal of the judge's questionable decision against the people who are trying to get a message to the council.
Because the guy who is representing the city is representing just the council, and not the people of the city who are entitled to have an election by virtue of following the requirements of the City Charter to bring the matter to the council. Then we can have a decision by the whole of the people, not a bunch of five well heeled elitists who are protecting their political allies on the council from a public spanking by the voters. Or at least re-label the position from city attorney to city council's defense attorney.
Maybe City Grows Indifferent to The Taxpayers would be a better name for the group.
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