Opinion: Wards offer fairer representation to Bardstown’s residents
MARK BALLARD
By MARK BALLARD
Guest columnist
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, 4:30 p.m. — Look around you. Look at your neighborhood, your subdivision, your town. Do you see the equal representation you have in local government? Do you feel as equally represented as everyone else in the city? Well, you are not alone. Ask the homeowners of Maple Hill if they feel as equally represented as those in the historic area of town. There are more and more citizens all across the city that feel the same as you but what can be done?
Ordinance 32.02 provides for the development of wards in the city. It is already in place. All that needs to be done to make this happen is for the city council to vote it through. So, you may ask yourself, “Why would the city leaders, and the city council in general, not want this to become a reality with it being the only fair way for everyone in the city to have equal representation?” Well, the simple fact is they like the system as it is currently. Half or more of the currently sitting councilmen would have to run against one another in the next election since several would be in the same ward.
With several city council members living either near downtown (or in close proximity to one another) leaves one to ask: Are we all equally represented? And by some councilmen having financial interests in the downtown area, how can that not be viewed by the public as a conflict of interest when proposing or voting on anything dealing with tax dollars being used specifically for that area? You cannot convince the citizens of this town that residents of Lorenza Circle, Ruth Lane, Tucker Drive, Caney Fork Road, Parrish Boulevard, Culpepper Street, or the Maple Hill neighborhood receive the same level of representation or are treated with the same importance as homeowners and business owners in the downtown district. While we all want to have a successful downtown district, is it fair for residents of other areas to feel ignored? We need to work together citywide to create a clean and prosperous city, not just a prioritized downtown area.
If the city was divided into six wards with one city council member elected to represent each ward, then each area of the city would have equal representation on the council.
The wards would be sized to have approximately the same number of citizens in each ward. The downtown area would be in its own ward, so favoritism — whether real or imagined — would not be there any longer. The next election after implementation would have candidates run against other candidates in the wards they live in for that city council seat and as a result we would have council members, and equal representation, from each area of the city.
Contact each of the city council members and the mayor and tell them to bring Ordinance 32.02 to the table and vote this through and make this happen.
Mayor Bill Sheckles — mayorsheckles@bardstowncable.net
Bardstown City Council
Francis Lydian — flydian@bardstowncable.net
Bobby Simpson — bcsimp@bardstowncable.net
Tommy Reed — treed@bardstowncable.net
Roland Williams — coach_roe@yahoo.com
John Royalty — jroyaltyhk@gmail.com
Joe Buckman — joebuckman1@att.net
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