Editor:
Surprise, surprise: Mick and the City Council are not interested in launching an independent investigation into who might have known the Burlingame brochure’s figures were wrong.
Their fear?
That they would be presumed guilty until proven innocent. Ironically, they could quickly regain their credibility by allowing — enabling, even — an independent investigation if they truly have nothing to hide. Their increasingly paranoid behavior raises new questions and suspicions every day.
It is no longer a question of IF they knew, but, rather, WHEN they knew it. Without getting to the root of this fiasco, what’s to prevent the next one? Notably absent are checks and balances in our local government.
It is time for the district attorney to step in. With our current elected leadership, the only existing checks and balances are checks written with complete disregard for resulting balances.
Elizabeth Milias
Aspen
Comments
checks and balances
KNCB Moore
Local government does not come with the separation of powers that
the Federal government does. However, a creative City Home Rule
Charter Amendmeny could explore adding checks and balances to the City Council power. Aspen's elected officials now act as executives, legislators and in a quasi-judicial capacity. This concentration of power runs the risk of being abused especially with elected officials who usually do not have any experience in the three branches of govermment. Political power is often used to cover ignorance. Opponents to bigger government are among those who also like big government.
Big government is run at a bigger risk when it is managed by part-time amateurs.