Safe, community-based day care with fully funded Head Start programs for all children. Gender-neutral pay equity at all levels of employment. Safe sex education and support services in our public schools. Our centralized city government is not structured to allow for genuine citizen input and dialogue. It is indeed a struggle for the average tax-paying citizen to have his voice not only heard but actually listened to.
Democracy demands participation.
We need to ensure that each person in our community can have their ideas seriously considered. Thomas Jefferson envisioned 'ward republics' for this purpose. Decisions about the well-being and future of our community can and should be debated and decided directly by the people. City Council members and County Commissioners would then perform the public service of making sure that these democratic decisions were carried out. Citizens would have the right to recall public servants who do not live up to their mandates.