Vote "No" to ELECT a Strong Mayor

Johnson said he favors the switch in form of government because even though a city manager and a mayor both serve as the chief executive of the city and would have similar duties, only a strong mayor is directly elected by the people. In contrast, city managers are appointed by the City Council and serve at its will.

“I think it brings some accountability to the position, and it lifts that veil,” Johnson said

Another plus Johnson sees in the strong mayor model is that candidates are residents of the communities they wish to serve and familiar with their people and issues, while city managers are frequently hired from out of the area. And while a city manager only has to keep a majority of the city council happy — four people in Lewiston’s case — a strong mayor has to answer to all the voters.

Vote "No" to ELECT a Strong Mayor

We are truly free only when we decided for ourselves what our rights and duties are.  And our right to decide that is vested in our right to vote.  Otherwise, people who don’t have to answer to us decide what is best for us.  We fought a revolution to win the right to vote for white men, a civil war for enslaved black men, the struggle for women’s suffrage wasn’t won until 1920 and Native Americans had to wait until 1924.  We should fight just as hard to keep this most fundamental right as we fought to get it.  

Despite this history and at the city level where the government most directly affects our lives, we are asked to continue to forgo our right to decide for ourselves who will lead our city.  The argument is that the city council is better able to decide who should run the city than we are.  Take a look at what the council has brought you just this year and then ask yourself if you could do better.

 $12 million for a new water well with no shortage of water,

 $4 million for a new fire station two blocks away from the current one that is adequate,

$1 million to reconstruct an existing concrete staircase, 

$400,000 for a consultant to redesign the existing Community Park, 

$300,000 for a consultant to write a new comprehensive plan when the existing one can be amended at no cost, 

$50,000 for a consultant to redesign the above concrete staircase, 

Increased your water utility bill by 5.5 %,

Increased your wastewater bill by 3.5%,

Increased your sanitation bill by almost 3%,

Refused to fund two additional code enforcement officers to preserve the integrity of our neighborhoods, 

Refused to even put the issue of the city parks dead and dying trees on the council agenda, 

Gave our $228,000 -a-year city manager a raise for overseeing all of this without having to answer to us for having done it.

All of this brought to you by the city council that thinks it is better able to decide who should lead us than we are.

Vote "No" to ELECT a Strong Mayor

As an Idaho State Legislator I have had the good fortune to travel our State. I have met so many strong Mayors, their passion for their cities is contagious. 

Lewiston needs this.

Only 3 cities in Idaho have a city manager form of government. 

Lewiston needs a strong mayor that can be held accountable by the people they serve through the ballot box.

For many years, Lewiston has left the taxpayer out of the decision making. A city manager simply agrees to get along rather than say no to budget increases, we have seen incredible growth in local Government.

I believe we have an opportunity to have new direction, bold leadership based on goals and possibilities. 

It's time for positive change. 

Let's do this. 

Vote "No" to ELECT a Strong Mayor

In 1997, I was a candidate for Lewiston City Council, and the only candidate out of 11 people to express my preference for a Strong Mayor form of government. This was reported in the Lewiston Tribune article about the candidate forum that was held prior to the election. I finished 5th, only missing out by about 60 votes.

Now today, having been elected to city and county offices, I may be the longest serving elected official that supports voting for a Strong Mayor for our city.

My reasons were simple back then, and are still simple today.  Voting for a single person who not only represents my city, but lays out a vision for the future, gives the citizens the confidence to vote for the person they believe represents their own beliefs.  The alternative is that your efforts to vote for that person get muddled in a group of 6 other individuals, one of who has been appointed to serve as Mayor.

Also I know the cost of a Strong Mayor system can be done for no more that the cost of a City Manager form of government, maybe even less.  How do I know this?  Because I have had many years to think about all the possibilities.  Let’s give the citizens the representation we all deserve.

Vote “NO” this November and let’s set Lewiston on a path of full representation.

Nez Perce County Commissioner

Doug Havens

Vote "Yes" to Keep an UNELECTED City Manager

“History has shown us that not always the most qualified people will get elected, that’s always a risk.”

I like the idea of having a professional at the helm. One that we can remove at any time and not have to wait three or four years for the voters to remove. So, my bias is toward having a manager form of government.

Vote "Yes" to Keep an UNELECTED City Manager

Retaining  the  current   Council-Manager  form  keeps  Lewiston  less  susceptible  to  corruption,  is economical  and  efficient  for  taxpayers,  and  provides  the  professionalism  and  accountability that Lewiston residents deserve.

Retaining  a  Council-Manager  form  of  government  saves  valuable  taxpayer  money, provides  efficiency  in  operations,  increases  accountability,  ensures  the  city  is  managed  by an experienced individual, and reduces the chance of corruption. Vote YES to retain the current form of government and KEEP Lewiston moving forward.