Mayor Herb Adams says he will begin a nine-month exercise in ‘government by the people,’ as he looks ahead to next April.
I’m guessing that most people are familiar with the phrase, government of the people, by the people and for the people. And they take confidence in its intent.
A friend and fellow Pacific resident once quoted the phrase to me saying it was the law of the land. Actually, you won’t find it in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. It was the final line in the Gettysburg Address, the speech President Abraham Lincoln gave in November 1863 to honor the fallen soldiers at the battle of Gettysburg.
Some political scholars think it’s the most beautiful speech ever uttered by an American statesman. It was short, 271 words that Lincoln scribbled on the back of an envelope on the train ride from Washington to Gettysburg. As beautiful as the phrase is, we don’t see it in action as much as my friend believes.
But – current mayor Herb Adams says between now and the municipal election next April Pacific residents will see ‘government by the people’ in ways not seen in our city in recent memory.
Nine month is how long he will be mayor in the unfulfilled term of former mayor Steve Myers. Myers was elected in 2018 to a four-year term. He resigned August 6, leaving nine months on the term. Under the city ordinance, the acting president of the board of aldermen assumes the duties of mayor.
Adams has been acting president of the board since he was elected to represent the ward two seat on the board of aldermen in 2018.
This is Adams 34th year in Pacific city government, his 15th year in the role of mayor. He also served as municipal judge and alderman.
Adams said, to his own surprise, he may have learned more as an alderman than he learned in all the years he served as judge and mayor.
In those roles he was the person in charge and could make decisions based on his own experience and judgment. As an alderman, he was closer to the people and interacted more thoroughly with other aldermen as the board discussed and debated issues to pass legislation, approve developments, set policy, or even pay bills.
“The aldermen are elected to represent their constituents, the people of their ward,” Adams said. “Their alderman is who residents usually call when they have a beef or a request. That’s where we hear from the public, but we can do more to welcome those conversations.”
Now, he said, he will take what he learned in all three seats of government and from now until the next election he will place the people in the forefront of all facets of city government.
Adams said he is aware that some residents feel they have been silenced at committee and commission meetings but that is not the intent of those meetings. He said he would work with other aldermen to create a welcoming environment for the public that allows a dialogue on the issues at hand between officials and citizens.
He also said that he plans to run for re-election to a full four-year term next April and will use the open dialogue policy to show how government can run if he is re-elected.
Until then, he said, he and other aldermen will set a new course for how the government operates. Everybody – aldermanic committees, staff, boards, committees and commissions will be directed to listen to the public before they make decisions or take action.
“Over the next nine months, I’ll show the aldermen and the citizens what we can accomplish working through the people,” he said. “And if I’m re-elected next April to a four-year term, that will be the future of Pacific.”
His first ‘government by the people’ project is crafting a plan for the three-property complex at the city’s entrance on East Osage (Route 66): Jensen’s Point, the Wintec Building and the Red Cedar Inn building.
The three properties combine to create a recreation/cultural/welcome multiplex that will provide an array of services to Pacific residents and visitors.
To determine what those services will be, Adams said he would turn to the city’s administrative committee with the direction that they involve the public in a series of fact-finding meetings and surveys. Adams, and Aldermen Andy Nemeth and Drew Stotler make up the committee.
“This complex is a good place to start involving the people in city planning,” Adams Said. “We have a guide in what we see, at least for Red Cedar. A lot of what will end up in that building is a result of input from the public. We had a series of meeting and surveys, asking the public to weigh in. Now we will go through that process for the entire three-properties, even to selecting a name for the complex.”
The public will be asked to attend and participate in administrative committee meetings and open house sessions as the complex is discussed.
“I want the public to know that we are very serious about seeking their input. We’ll be asking them to attend those meetings. If the cannot attend in person, we’ll ask them to view the video of the meetings on ZOOM or Facebook,” Adams said.
Even beyond that, citizens can contact their alderman to offer their thoughts on the project.
“If they feel they are not being listened to, they can call me,” Adam said.
Hope Herbies able to pull the”by the people thing ” off; call me skeptical but doing so would be a radical change for Pacific government,p.s. government abhors change.
the first admin committee on the subject was very disappointing. first they blew off Nancy Omar’s idea of a mural with out even reading her letter out loud, they came to the meeting with their minds already made up no.
then they spent time trying to figure out if the city needed more storage for records did not even ask for public comments., shut out again, shut up and sit on your hands as before
we need to ask for something stupidly outrageous, so they can do their usual “opposite of what the citizens ask for” than maybe we will get a good project
I shudder to think of how much taxpayer money has been spent on the Red Cedar property. The board seems to be stuck on a repeat cycle of asking for money to spend on the Red Cedar building, spending it, getting nothing accomplished.
They bought the property from private ownership using tax money, citing plans to restore it and use it as a visitor’s center.
Then they needed more money appropriated on it and it was going to be a city museum or some such.
Now we’re repeating the cycle again, this time with big plans that will no doubt need tax money to buy the additional 2 properties..
I would dig up the numbers on this but to be honest i don’t think I want to know the amount!
they already own the other two properties, have spent or will spend $3.1 MILLION on renovation on Red Cedar. they could have restored it as a money making restaurant and have their visitors center, museum and a first class overlook if it was not for the greed and corruption that comes with lining up at the taxpayer trough.
How about we build a display of Pacific (aka Franklin) civil war heritage, and General Sterling Price’s raid????
It is part of our city state, and countries history.