The City Council voted unanimously last week to put the question
of whether the city clerk and city treasurer should be appointed or
elected on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The City Council voted unanimously last week to put the question of whether the city clerk and city treasurer should be appointed or elected on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Both the city clerk’s and city treasurer’s positions are filled by an election among the voters, as they have been since 1906. Both positions are part-time and the current terms are scheduled to expire in 2012.
All cities in California are required to employ a city clerk and a city treasurer. In Morgan Hill, the city clerk is responsible for administering elections, the upkeep of public records, and other administrative tasks. Morgan Hill’s city treasurer’s job consists of deciding where to invest city funds, currently consisting of about $85 million in unspent capital improvement money. Most of the city’s other financial tasks, such as collecting taxes and license fees, paying creditors and depositing funds, are carried out by appointed finance department staff. The city treasurer regularly consults with those staff members.
It’s time to change.
First, appointing these officials instead of electing then will save the city money in the long run. While making the change will cost $50,000 to place on the ballot this year, the city will never have to pay the county to place those two positions on the ballot in future elections.
Second, both Torrez and Roorda has served for more than a decade, with little or no opposition, despite the fact all it takes to run for those two positions that require specific knowledge is being a registered voter.
Some voters are worried that by appointing people to the two positions, the city would lose critical checks and balances. We disagree. The checks and balances come in the form of the city council. So, why not have the city manager appoint someone to the two positions, with the council members as ultimate oversight? They are the city manager’s boss, and the voters are their bosses. You don’t like who is appointed, raise a ruckus and vote out those responsible. It really is as simple as that.
Allowing the city council or the city manager – we say the city manager as it’s not spelled out in the ballot language – to appoint someone to fill the positions is the best way to ensure the city clerk and city treasurer are qualified to carry out the specialized tasks both jobs are required to perform.
