Laserfiche WebLink
Page 4 of 12 <br />funding like para-transit money which would transport people with disabilities or the elderly because <br />right now we have coordinated services. We have money going to a non profit and I can see you are <br />getting anxious so it’s just that I think transportation -- something needs to be done. I’m not sure it <br />belongs in the auspices of this commission. With that I’ll close my remarks and thank you very much. <br />RAY: Okay. Any questions? George? <br />MARTIN: I have a question. This will be the first time a Portuguese type of individual such as myself <br />needs a microphone in a well aired area such as this. No problem. First of all I would like to thank you <br />for giving your comments. We truly appreciate it and I believe your second comment was on a <br />Managing Director type of government. If it were to go to that type of government, if we as a <br />commission were to see that, at what point in time would you like to vote on something like that? And <br />the reason I bring that up is if it were to be changed, it would take the Mayor out of our type of <br />government. We’d no longer have a Mayor so if we put it in the Charter as our chairman just mentioned <br />and his time line indicated, we would finalize it and put it on the ballot for the 2000 election, it wouldn’t <br />take place for another four years unless some sort of a special election was held in between now and <br />then to implement that type of government. How do you feel about something like that? What is your <br />comments on that? <br />LAWSON: Well, it’s one of those issues that I haven’t considered because it just now occurred to me as <br />you voiced it. Is the current Mayor’s term not up for four more years? <br />MARTIN: No, it’s up now. Okay and in the year 2000, it will be up but if we vote - <br />LAWSON: But the time - well, of course if I had the power to rule the world which some people know I <br />would like, I would say - <br />RAY: I think what George is asking is would you favor a special election? <br />  <br />MARTIN: I don’t want to put words in her mouth. I want her to - <br />LAWSON: No, no, no, no. I would favor it going on this ballot saying something like "if this should <br />occur, the Mayor’s term would end" because a special election is extremely costly and I don’t know how <br />I’d feel about the trade off of having a costly special election to speed up the implementation but I know <br />that you have counsel as a commission advisor that perhaps that would be one avenue to look at. <br />Certainly it wouldn’t be meant to be punitive to anyone. It’s just meant to correct something that I think <br />needs to be done. <br />RAY: Marni, got a question? <br />HERKES: Hi Gretchen. Sorry you don’t feel good. You started out with nonpartisan elections and then <br />you switched to Managing Director so are you in favor of both of them? I mean that’s something that <br />you’re advocating looking at both of them? <br />LAWSON: Yes. I think, just to be quick, I think nonpartisan elections are really a necessity. It takes so <br />much time to deal with parties, to go out and get the party support. It’s an archaic thing. We don’t need <br />it anymore. Communications in our society are such that I think if people ran on their own strength and <br />talked about who they are and why they should be elected, they don’t need the backing of those parties. <br />file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 6-23-99.html7/1/2011 <br /> <br />