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EDITORIAL: Voters should decide merger's destiny(Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 21--The road that could lead to unified government in Owensboro and Daviess County, or to the idea's demise for a second time, remains bumpy, fractious and seemingly unconnected to any real desire on the part of ordinary people even to have the debate. Nevertheless, the issue is taking center stage. Last week, the Owensboro City Commission came out in unanimous favor of directing the city attorney to draw up an ordinance to establish a joint unification charter commission with members appointed by the city and county to develop a merger plan to be presented to voters. The move had obvious intents. It was to show that the new City Commission supports Mayor Tom Watson's long campaign to press ahead with the idea of government unification. It also put the onus squarely on Daviess Fiscal Court to do the same. Fiscal Court's reaction has been icy. County commissioners Jim Lambert and Mike Riney have vowed to oppose establishing a charter commission, while Judge-Executive Reid Haire said the issue was a nonstarter on the court. Commissioner Bruce Kunze opened the door to merger only slightly, saying he will support fact-finding, while complaining that citizens should be the ones pushing for merger. Lambert was sorely mistaken when he said he owes a higher level of responsibility to people outside the city limits. Every resident of Daviess County deserves his equal allegiance. The comment is divisive on its face. Watson, armed with a poll that says 60 percent of respondents favor merger and more than that want to see it voted on, said he wants to talk to Fiscal Court members face to face and avoid an "us vs. them" scenario. But we fear that is already the case. We have said repeatedly that government unification in Daviess County should come from the people up, not top down from government. But the latter is what we are seeing. Where is that groundswell of support? Where is that clamor for merger from great numbers of city and noncity residents? Perhaps that is because Watson, beyond voicing generalizations about its advantages, hasn't made the case for one government. Where does this leave the community? One thing we're sure of, this bone has been worried over just about enough. Some kind of a conclusion needs to occur. And, like it or not, the government representing nearly 60 percent of the county's population is 100 percent in favor of establishing a charter commission. That must count for something. Remember also that when Watson was elected mayor, his top priority was government unification. Yes, another merger campaign would be divisive, maybe even a slugfest. And it would use up time and energy and dominate debate. But nothing potentially worthwhile ever comes easy, and running from controversy solves nothing. Commissioners Riney and Lambert have indicated that merger should come from the people and not be decided by a few. But they favor Fiscal Court -- four individuals -- burying the issue by refusing to approve the creation of a charter commission before the people even know what's on the table. The voters deserve to see what a charter commission produces and then vote it up or down. Daviess Fiscal Court should not stand in the way of a charter commission being established. That commission should be put on a fast track to create a merger plan, followed promptly by a vote. If opponents of merger are, as they say, sure that most people don't want it, they should have nothing to fear from a vote. Copyright (c) 2007, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |