PeaceMakers and Local PAC Change their City Government
Shortly after the formation of “Sioux Citizens for Responsible Government” by Aaron Rochester (Chairman of SCRG and Secretary of PeaceMakers Institute) and Rev. Cary Gordon (Sec/Treasurer of SCRG and President of PeaceMakers Institute), the current Mayor of Sioux City responded favorably to the PAC’s proposal to put the issue of directly electing the city’s mayor on the upcoming November ballots.
After being criticized by the Taxpayers Research Council, Sioux Citizens for Responsible Government fired back at the TRC in a Saturday press release to the Sioux City Journal. Lynn Zerschling, staff writer for the Sioux City Journal, wrote the article entitled, “PAC contends directly electing Sioux City’s mayor would make a difference to people.” She wrote:
“Directly electing Sioux City’s mayor will make that person the voice of the people to the City Council,” a political action committee supporting that proposal, said Friday. That would be a reversal of what that PAC sees happening now – that the mayor is the voice of the City Council to the people. “We believe a constructive reversal would take place in the event that the mayor was directly elected by the people,” Sioux Citizens for Responsible Government said:
“Currently there is a false notion that has been purveyed to the public suggesting that the current role of mayor has no more power than the other members of the council,” the organization said. “This ill-informed idea, at best, underestimates and at worst totally ignores the power of the mayor’s bully pulpit.” The mayor would “carry more moxie,” the PAC said, because he or she would enter office with the “political capital of his campaign promises.”
On election day, (November of 2006) it became obvious that PeaceMakers Institute, in conjunction with Sioux Citizens for Responsible Government, had clearly communicated to Sioux City voters when the measure passed successfully.
Opposition to the measure was publicized by three of the most influenctial lobbying groups in Sioux City: 1) Chamber of Commerce, 2) Taxpayers Research Council, and 3) League of Women Voters. (Althought the Chamber took a public stance that they were “neither for nor against” the measure, the money-trail led back to members of their board of directors. Hmmm? Whisper campaign anyone?
Between the three opposition groups who offered the joint effort to discourage the voters from passing the direct-election measure, estimates were publicized suggesting that more than $20,000.00 was spent by the three groups combined. In contrast with Sioux Citizens for Responsible Government which spent just over $3,000.00.
By a comfortable margin, Sioux City residents said on election day, that they wanted to elect their mayor. The measure won by a 54-46 percent margin, with 10,889 voting yes to 9,122 voting no. As the results came in that Tuesday night, the ballot measure gainged an early lead and never lost it.
With approval of the measure, Sioux City voters will go to the polls in 2007 to select their leader for a four-year term.
A big victory for Sioux City residents and a great win for Sioux Citizens for Responsible Government, and the PeaceMakers Institute!
