In a Bunion exclusive, City Mangler Mark "Shep" Shepard agreed to be interviewed on Ballot Measure 2-159, in front of a live studio audience.
The Bunion: So, Shep, tell us why you're backing 2-159.
Mark Shepard: Well, B, it comes down to efficiency in local government. Most people have no idea how much effort it is for me to get nine elected councilors to align with my goals. They tend to come in with their own ideas and be pretty insubordinate. Measure 2-159 does a lot to rectify that.
TB: Let's break this down. There are three parts to the measure: reducing the number of wards, increasing the council term from two to four years, and introducing term limits. Let's start with that last one. What are your thoughts?
MS: That one's mostly to sweeten the deal. For me, it's a wash. It ensures that a recalcitrant councilor can't stay on indefinitely. That's a plus. They can be really hard to get rid of, though goodness knows I've tried. The down side, of course, is that it's also the case for a more pliable one. We mostly just threw that in there because we thought it would draw in a few more votes.
TB: How about the four year terms?
MS: Now that's important. With the current two years, just when you get a councilor under your thumb, they can get replaced, especially when my policies aren't popular with the voting public. That almost happened in the last election, when one of my strongest allies nearly got taken out by a weak candidate. Two year terms mean a lot of work to just tread water, and very inefficient.
TB: Finally, tell us about reducing the number of wards.
MS: This part is sheer genius, if I do say so myself. Over the long run, it just makes things so much easier. Six councilors is a third fewer to have to flatter or bully. Much less effort. And with an even number, the mayor will break the tie more often. So that really helps when you've got the Mayor in your pocket. And in the short run, it will force a redistricting without waiting for the next census in 2030, so you can gerrymander away a pesky ward or two. It really combines a lot of benefits in one innocuous-sounding bullet point.
The real point of all of this is to make City government more efficient, and the fewer decision makers involved, the better your results.
TB: Just like in Germany in 1932, right? Get the trains running on time and all that.
MS: Well, we're only taking baby steps right now, but yeah, a man can dream, can't he?
