Huntington Beach is updating the city charter, and is proposing that the Mayor be elected rather than appointed by City Council members. {Additional point of clarification: The Charter Review Committee took a straw vote (not binding) in favor of having an elected Mayor. The Charter Review Committee has not formally taken a position on the matter and will do so in the future.} In Orange County, cities like Orange and Irvine directly elect their mayors, while Fullerton and most other cities have Council appoint the Mayor.
In cities that appoint a Mayor, Council can either rotate the position among all members, ensuring that the voices of all Council members are heard as Mayor or elect the Mayor from within their ranks. Direct election of a Mayor allows residents to decide who is best to serve in the highest ranking job in elected city government.
Fullerton currently allows Council to elect the Mayor and has rejected the idea of a scheduled rotation of the job among all Council members. This method is unfair to the electorate because they are cut out of a key decision - who will lead the City and what their agenda is. A potentially wide spectrum of views can be elected to a City Council, and if the Mayor is rotated among all members, that wide spectrum elected by the people will be represented in government. If the Mayor is elected by Council members only, that wide spectrum is shut out of leading an agenda for the city. In some cities where Council appoints the Mayor, the job of Mayor is traded between a few individuals, effectively shutting out other voices.
To be fair to the residents, a city must either rotate the Mayor's job among all Council members or directly elect the Mayor. Fullerton has rejected rotating the Mayor's job among all members, using a published schedule and has chosen to allow Council to appoint the Mayor. This method is inherently unfair to residents. Directly electing a Mayor is the best choice for Fullerton, to allow the voice of the residents to be reflected in their government.
Comments