City council decisions impact all residents

To the Editor,

   It is always refreshing to look to my hometown of Monticello and see that common sense prevails. One example of this is the current effort to eliminate the ward system of elections in Monticello and replace it with one where all city council members are elected at-large. The vote on this measure will be held on Tuesday, March 7.

   There are two major advantages to an at-large system for selecting all six members of the city council.  First, voters will be able to vote on all six positions which constitute their city council. Second, candidates will be able to run for any city council position without having to live in a particular ward.

   Decisions by the city council affect all members of the city. As pointed out in the petition for this election, “The city council does not have ward reports, make decisions by wards, approve resolutions by ward, or make any ward-specific action.”

   There is no legitimate reason I can think of which justifies the voter or candidate restrictions to residency in a particular ward.

   This improvement can only happen if Monticello voters get out and vote for it. Let common sense prevail! Vote for the at large city council system on Tuesday, March 7!

Sincerely,

Donald W. Bohlken

Indianola, Iowa