An open letter to the City Council:

By way of introduction, I was born and raised in the Netherlands. I came to the United States in 2000 and earned citizenship in July 2006. I’ve been a resident of Fairhope since January 2004 and have been, up until recently, very proud and happy to be here. I say ‘until recently’ because your actions have me very concerned and upset.

As a citizen of the Netherlands, I am accustomed to a government working by consensus. We have a parliamentary body which is made up of many different political parties. In order for effective governance to happen, all groups must work together. Another thing to which I’m accustomed is frank and effective discussion about important subjects.

There is a saying that the Dutch when faced with an important question will research and discuss, seemingly much too long. In the Netherlands we agree, but frankly when we make a decision, it’s one we all feel we can stand behind. Most importantly, we feel that every person had a say, and we all had a chance to listen to and reflect upon all points of view.

A lot has happened since last year’s election and much of that seems to be related to limiting the power of the mayor in his role as executive officer. While I understand that the Alabama constitution requires a different balance of powers between council and mayor, I believe the council is not acting in the best interests of Fairhope and its residents.

One major concern is the creation of a city administrator. Nobody, not even the council, has explained why we need this new position. Fairhope citizens elected the mayor to manage the city. Adding another layer of bureaucracy will lessen efficiency and be more costly without adding any benefit to the city.

Worse, it circumvents the democratic right of the citizens of Fairhope. The city administrator position is not an elected office. Removing the mayor from managerial responsibility eliminates the citizens’ ability to evaluate and directly affect how the city is managed. We lose the ability to vote for a change if things are going badly. It is in our best interests for you to work with the mayor and not take away our rights by creating a position that is not directly accountable to us.

During the election, promises were made about more openness, clarity and, above all, more listening to the citizens of Fairhope. Please, listen to this. Fairhope is a unique city with a unique history. Great care should be taken with the powers that we’ve bestowed upon you, as you briefly hold the reigns of office. The actions that you take today will have an historical effect on Fairhope.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that your actions can also be changed. At the next election the citizens’ opinions on your term in office will be heard. That’s the power of democracy as I’ve experienced it in my first country and now here in the U.S.

Fairhope