MADISON — With nine days left before a special election that could change the form of governance to a council-manager format in the city of Madison, groups on both sides of the issue are speaking up.
A “Just Vote No” rally was held Saturday at Home Place Park in downtown Madison and attended by more than 20 people. According to a Facebook post, the rally was hosted by Hanu Karlapalem and Jocelyn Broer and described as “A Non-Partisan Rally to oppose the proposed City Manager form of government and the reduction in the number of council districts in Madison City.”
The group listed additional objections to a city manager asserting Madison will lose its rights and representation and it would worsen what they call an “already existing lack of transparency”.
The group Madison Forward calls these claims “pure fiction.” The citizens group has published a “Fact vs. Fiction” summary of what the group says are false claims against a city manager form of government.
Madison Forward member Marc Jacobson said many of the claims by groups opposing a city manager form of government are false and “ridiculous.”
“They’ve claimed the city manager election is a scheme by the city of Huntsville,” he said. “It’s completely ridiculous. They’ve launched attacks against private citizens volunteering their time in Madison and against local civic organizations.
“It’s hard to tell if this is just ignorance or malice.”
Jacobson went on to say this is a chance for the citizens of Madison to consider the future of their city.
“The research shows the council-manager form of government is nearly 10 percent more efficient than those that operate under the mayor-council form,” he said. “This is smart government.”
Jacobson said, under a council-manager form of government, the mayor is still elected at-large to represent the city at government and community events while City Council members will continue to be elected by geographic districts.
“The city council district lines are due to be redrawn based on the 2020 census,” he said. “If voters approve the new form of government, the lines will be drawn into six districts while the mayor will then be head of the city council and a voting member.”
Madison voters will head to the polls May 9 to cast their vote on the issue. If approved, the new form of government would be in place by 2025.
“Fact vs. Fiction” by Madison Forward is included in entirety below.
? Claim: Somebody must gain from this initiative.
✅ Fact: True in that we all gain by ensuring a better future. There is no money or power to be had.
? Claim: We can’t get rid of a poor performing city manager.
✅ Fact: False. The city manager will be under a contract negotiated by our elected mayor and city council. There is no term. The manager is an “at will” employee and can be terminated by a majority vote at any city council meeting.
? Claim: If a city manager is terminated, it will be like an SEC football coach, costing sums of money.
✅ Fact: False. An elected mayor and council typically include a 3-to-4-month severance package in a contract. Performance and the contract are reviewed annually.
? Claim: This is a move by Huntsville to “gobble” up Madison.
✅ Fact: Absurd. Huntsville has nothing to do with this issue. A city manager will help solidify Madison’s future. A vote to annex into Huntsville was held in the 1980’s and voted down two to one – Madison residents had the choice, not Huntsville.
? Claim: This is a good ole boy setup so that Mayor Finley (or in some scenarios, Steve Smith) can put himself into the position of city manager.
✅ Fact: False. The city manager will be selected by the mayor and city council elected in 2025, not the current elected body.
? Claim: Huntsville doesn’t have a city manager, so Madison doesn’t need one.
✅ Fact: Madison is NOT Huntsville, nor do we want to be. Huntsville, in fact, has two highly paid senior managers who manage departments under the mayor. Huntsville is structured quite differently.
? Claim: The city currently has a city administrator (Steve Smith), so we don’t need anyone else.
✅ Fact: The city does not have a real city administrator. The position description is “aide to the mayor.” This person manages no one, controls no money, and can make no operational decisions. The salary is in the $70K range.
? Claim: This will take away our right to vote.
✅ Fact: False. Madison citizens will still elect council members by district and the mayor at large. The mayor will sit as president of the city council and will drive the agenda. There should be no more food fights between the two offices as in the past, but there must be good collaboration.
However, it is ironic, but true, that members of Don’t Mess with Madison, the very people making this claim, filed 2 lawsuits in attempts to prevent Madisonians from being able to vote on this issue at all.
? Claim: Only the city council and mayor can fire a city manager, not the citizens.
✅ Fact: True. The city manager is responsible to the elected mayor and elected city council who are responsible to the citizens. If voters don’t have faith in the leaders they elected to make good choices, they can fire them every 4 years, just as today.
?Claim: Madison tried a city manager form of government in 1982 and it was a failure. We don’t want to repeat that mistake.
✅ Fact: False. The 3-member City Commission hired a “city administrator” to run the daily operations of the city. There was not a change in the form of government. What is true is that they hired an administrator who was ineffective. And also true is that the voters “fired” the elected commissioners during an election, just like council/mayor could do under the new form of government. Madison, now at 60,000 residents and with an $80 million budget, is much more complex and advanced than the sleepy 4,000 town of 40 years ago.
? Claim: Madison City Schools should move to an elected Board of Education and Superintendent (as stated by Don’t Mess with Madison at a forum on April 18th.)
✅ Fact: Madison City Schools rank as one of the best school systems in the United States. A primary reason is that we have an appointed school board and appointed superintendent – appointed by the elected mayor and elected city council, in whom the voters have placed their trust. Madison residents do not want their schools to be like Huntsville, who just lost another superintendent, have lower ranked schools, and continue to fight their way out of a desegregation Court Order.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
