Thursday, January 08, 2009

Attorney says change gives voice to all; ex-prof says it narrows focus too much

By TIM MORAN
tmoran@modbee.com

last updated: October 10, 2007 08:33:35 AM

Modesto's district election measures got a thorough airing at a packed Mo- desto Rotary Club meeting Tuesday, with a pro and con presentation led by Modesto attorney Solange Altman and retired history Professor Curtis Grant.

Altman, a member of the volunteer Charter Review Committee that came up with the recommendation that the city change its election format, made the case for district elections, and Grant, a former California State University, Stanislaus, professor and administrator, argued against the change.

The current system is expensive for candidates, difficult for minority candidates and leaves large geographic areas of the city unrepresented, Altman said.

Grant countered that voters lose their voice when they can vote for only one of the six council members, and each council member will be focused on neighborhood problems rather than citywide issues.

City voters will face two questions on the Nov. 6 ballot:

Measure I asks whether Modesto should change the current at-large election format, in which each council member is elected by all of the city's voters.

Measure J asks voters to choose between two forms of district elections. One would elect six council members, one from each of six districts. The other method would elect six from those districts and two at-large members who would run citywide.

The mayor would continue to run citywide in either option.

Those ballot measures are advisory, but a binding vote on the format that wins approval in November is expected to appear on the Feb. 8 ballot.

The Charter Review Committee's 11 members unanimously agreed that Modesto's elections should be by district, but the committee couldn't settle on which form that should take, said committee member Chris Harrigfeld, who moderated the Rotary discussion.

Altman noted that the current election format was put in place in 1962, when Modesto had 36,585 residents. Winning citywide election campaigns now can cost $40,000 to $70,000, she said, and candidates have no hope of knocking on the doors of all residents.

"Our present at-large system has not kept pace with the times," she said.

Running in a district will be less expensive, bring candidates closer to voters and make them more accountable, Altman said.

The City Council's lack of diversity and minority representation has drawn a high-profile lawsuit, Altman said, and leaves council members with a weak connection to their constituents. All seven council members are white; Balvino Irizarry, who served from 1987 to 1991, is the only Latino to win the office in nearly 100 years.

Grant argued that a district election allows voters a voice on just one council seat rather than all six. Citywide issues will tend to be ignored while each council member focuses on neighborhood problems to gain re-election, he said.

"Each council member will be accountable to 16.6 percent of the voting public, and they can ignore the other five districts," Grant said.

Studies show spending, debt and taxes increase significantly when governments shift to a district election format, he said.

Minority representation should be addressed when questions of injustice arise, Grant added, and that can be done under the current system.

Follow schools' example?

Attorney Lou Friedman, an-other speaker Tuesday, said the current election format is "seriously flawed," but added that district elections aren't the answer. He recommended a system similar to what Modesto City Schools uses, where candidates are elected at large but don't run for individual seats. The top vote-getters among the field of candidates win election.

The school board has had consistent minority representation and the community has access to school board members and City Council members, Friedman said.

John Shores, a Charter Review Committee member and retired business manager, argued that the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors is elected by district, and still is able to address countywide issues.

"I don't believe district elections create those divisions," Shores said.

Rotarians questioned after the meeting were mostly noncommittal, but said they learned a lot listening to the discussion.

Sue McGeer, a South African native who became a citizen last year, said she will be voting for the first time in November.

"It was really delightfully informative," she said. "It will help me make my decision."

Businessman Peter Herrmann said he felt the real problem was getting more people involved in the political process.

"We have very qualified people in all segments of the community, and we need to get them to step forward," he said.

Cheryl Martin said she found good points from all the speakers. "The mix (districts with two at-large candidates) sounds more like what I would vote for. I have more studying to do," she said.

Bee staff writer Tim Moran can be reached at tmoran@modbee.com or 578-2349.

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