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Seeking a return to democracy It needs to be said that Shorewood’s process of government generally excludes real and energetic citizen participation.
Other local governments as well, and their agencies, beginning with village boards themselves and the various committees and authorities, tend to exclude citizen involvement.
They continue to move in the direction of becoming more like corporation boards, where the board members are stronger than the average stockholder, and in local government, the average citizen.
These members, once installed, are no longer accountable to the citizens, except perhaps when they come up for re-election, and usually not then.
Therefore, the concept of local democracy does not ever become a reality.
We seem to elect people who individually or collectively function as dictators for their terms. If they choose to run again, they are usually re-elected and continue with their jobs as dictators until they tire of it. At least they are not lifetime dictators.
A system of citizen participation on a daily and rotating basis is required.
An arrangement that will require elected representatives and their appointees and the bureaucrats to listen to citizens and to pay attention to what the average citizen wants is critically needed.
I unreservedly mean to move us closer to a system of democratic rule rather than the present one. And I shall continue to fight for installing this type of democratic system here in Shorewood.
Joe Mangiamele Shorewood
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