Palmer council to discuss mayor’s duties

The goings on have been a bit disappointing lately at the Palmer City Council. The smoking ban ordinance is just an example.

Rather than take the lead, the council washed its hands of any involvement. We will have a smoking ban ordinance; the majority of Palmer residents, the chamber of commerce and pretty much everyone I know favors it. It will be on the next ballot and it will pass, but it won’t have the city’s direction.

It will be good for Palmer. It will be good for the bars. It will be good for business.

Of the council’s nay votes, I only respect Richard Best. His is philosophical, and though I believe he is wrong in this instance, I understand where he is coming from. The other nay votes were a disappointment, especially since I supported some of them as candidates.

But my big frustration with the council is the waste of a valuable asset, Mayor Delena Johnson.

Mayor Johnson is the best thing Palmer has for business and bringing in the bucks. But instead of giving her rein and paying her a commensurate salary for the work expected (or the salary of other mayors for this size city) her position has been made part-time, she has been censured by the council on the most important land deal, the Mat-Maid property and surroundings (in my opinion a primary reason she was elected) and her salary doesn’t even cover the “ceremonial” and benefit costs of her position.

Mayor John Combs proved that to raise money in Juneau you need to be an elected official. Lobbyists and administrators don’t bring back the bacon. They are seen as just in it for the money, not the passion and love a mayor has for her town. We need the mayor in Juneau.

And then there is the train. Mayor Johnson, with just a little help from the council, can bring back the trains. What an economic boost that would be! And the unsightly mud puddle in the middle of town could be changed from the ugly symbol of government run amuck to the symbol of new prosperity.

And what about the Mat-Maid property? What the city needs to do is actively search for a private entity or another government partner to develop the properties, like what occurred with the courts. No one is better suited to take on this task than the mayor. The manager can negotiate purchases and bonds, but the mayor can bring us development.

And that is the issue, vision and foresight belong to our elected officials, they are the voice of the people. Managers and administrators are the nuts and bolts folks who make the wheels go around, but they don’t do the grease. In Palmer, previous management has shown what happens when vision is put in its realm. It becomes a thing used for personal gain.

We don’t need the mayor to do the manager’s job and we need to stop the assignment of the mayor’s (and council’s) duties to the manager. It might be good politics, but it is stupid governance.

Today at 7 p.m., the Palmer City Council meets at 231 W. Evergreen Ave. The duties of the mayor are one of the topics. Go and voice your opinion, tell the council what you think the mayor was elected to accomplish.

Greg Gusse is a Palmer businessman.