City Council Representation
Currently the city charter requires all municipal elections to be non partisan and citywide, or “at large.” This means that all qualified voters vote on all candidates.
With district representation, council members are nominated, and in some cases elected, only by the citizens residing within a designated district.
Proponents of the existing, at-large process maintain it assures election of someone who represents everybody; that it prevents potentially dividing the city into self-serving and politically dominated areas; and that it minimizes competition among areas of the city for scarce resources.
Opponents claim representatives elected at large don’t represent anyone in particular; that this process further removes council members from the public they’re elected to serve; and citizens have no specific representative for their issues and concerns.
Community Partners’ preliminary indications from the public favor some sort of district representation.
The purest form of district representation is to divide the city into specific areas from which council members are both nominated and elected, just as the state is divided into legislative districts. This assures districts have “one of their own” involved in establishing city policy. Campaign costs are minimized and district candidates are less susceptible to outside influences.
A variation of district representation is to nominate candidates from within districts but elect by a citywide vote - the system used to elect county commissioners. This compromise could provide the best of both worlds: district representatives who are acceptable to the entire electorate. Citizens would have their own representative who could champion district priorities, yet remain responsible for the entire city.
Obviously, each system has advantages and disadvantages. This is where citizens come into play. The city charter is your document, your way of communicating to the council how you want and expect your city to operate.
The Community Partners are your channel to “voice your choice” regarding Spokane’s government. Do not miss this opportunity and responsibility to help shape our future. xxxx