Let the public speak

By Kevin Cooper (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, November 8, 2009

Regis Philbin and the makers of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” first introduced the “Ask the Audience” lifeline.

Stumped contestants could simply see what the majority of the audience thought the answer to a trivia question was. And, more often than not, the audience was correct.

“Ask the Audience” may have been a novel concept when the TV game show debuted in 1999, but a real-world example just hit our community last week.

Tuesday’s stunning election results in Adams County reenergized me with proof that the people can govern — even if we had to use a lifeline.

For years we’ve looked to the elected officials for all the vision and leadership. Unfortunately in some cases there’s little of either.

Many of the people we elect seem to just become local celebrities of a sort and in the process lose their connection to getting things done. Perhaps voters simply re-elect them because of their familiar names or pretty faces.

Regardless, the nearly eight out of 10 residents who voted to support pursuing a community-wide recreation project have given me a new, radical idea for moving our community ahead.

While the local politicians and their difficult to follow agendas often seem stuck in indecisiveness, the masses seem resolute on what needs to get done.

After decades of talking and talking and talking about recreation, it just took one simple action to gain clarity — ask the voters.

And the voters certainly spoke — screamed you might say. Voters sent the message to elected officials, a crystal clear mandate: We want improved recreation facilities.

Recreation improvements could be a community-changer, but only if we approach the issue wisely and using the power of the people to propel good fiscally sound ideas to happen.

Renewed faith in the masses could be a revolutionary way to govern.

Every two years, the county should hold a special election in which we ask the voters: “Which of the following local issues should our community tackle within the next four years?”

Then simply list all of the items that are currently being discussed. Top three vote getters get put on the front burner.

While it might seem wasteful — special elections are certainly not cheap — think of the hundreds of thousands of dollars we’d save by not starting and stopping projects or by never having to pay another $100,000 for a “feasibility study.”

Trusting government is difficult sometimes, but faced with putting the future in the hands of government or in the hands of the masses, I’d almost always go for the latter.

Imagine how quickly and clearly we could get to the bottom of such questions as:

Should Natchez and Adams County consider consolidating into one government entity, thereby shrinking the overall size — and cost — of local government?

Do we need to pursue building new public school buildings?

Should the city and county partner together — more than they already do — to provide better countywide fire protection?

Should Natchez seek out a second or third casino development?

Maybe that’s a pie-in-the-sky approach to having the people drive their own government. But maybe, just maybe, it might be a way to get the things done which the majority of people find important.

Add a nattily dressed Philbin, dramatic lighting and music and we’ll have ourselves one heck of a community showstopper.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.