July 9, 2017

For 20 months, a key goal of the Milton Coalition has been to achieve good governance, or at least better governance, in Milton.  We have seen many examples of poor governance in Milton, mostly at City Council.

1. liberal use of personal/company email for City business.
2. city processes circumvented (e.g., with the drafting of the CSO).
3. staff and the City Manager bypassed by Council Members (e.g., with the drafting of the CSO)—in contravention of Milton’s City Code.
4. personal attacks by Council Members on private citizens via e-mail, in letters to the newspaper, and even from the Council dais—in contravention of City policy.
5. council members promoting a developer’s project, thereby violating their duty of judicial impartiality in a rezoning hearing.
6. a developer getting a second hearing on a zoning matter that resulted in reversal of a previous decision when 3 Council members (all with ties to the developer) reversed their previous votes.
7. a Council Member attempting to interfere with and influence the Milton Charter Commission.

As we reported recently, the only mechanism for addressing malfeasance (that falls short of illegality) of Council Members is Milton’s ethics ordinance, which is designed to deter citizen complaints.  (Please read our earlier blog posts on this topic.)

So what is good governance and why is it important?  Well, governance, without any descriptors, refers to the process, or means, by which decisions get made and implemented by our government.  It is the how of our government vs. the what (i.e., outcomes or ends, such as ordinances or zoning rulings) or the who (i.e., elected representatives, appointed officials, and staff).  Governance can be good or bad (or most often, somewhere between good and bad).  Of course, the goal should be constant progress toward good governance.  So what does good mean in the phrase good governance.  Good is defined by adherence to a number of principles:

1. Transparency (or openness). This means that government is not a black box.  As much as possible, government decision-making is visible to citizens.  Example:  Only city-government email is used by government officials.
2. Fairness.  All citizens receive equal treatment from the City.  Special interests, like developers, do not exert out-sized influence on government decisions.  Example:  City Council Members apply a high standard for recusal—that is, recuse themselves if there is even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
3. Democracy.  Our local elected officials, or their designated/appointed representatives (e.g., staff and appointees), make all decisions for the city allowed under the City Charter and state law.  Local control (i.e., local autonomy, home rule, self-rule, city sovereignty) is staunchly defended against usurpation by other governmental authorities.
4. Rigor.  A single, clear, and diligent process for decision-making, which includes checks and balances, is followed.
5. Competence. Government should be as effective and efficient as possible—i.e., achieve the best results at the lowest cost.  However, it also means that government is responsive.
6. Honesty. The goals and processes of government adhere to the highest standards of integrity.  Government officials do not lie to citizens or act in a clandestine manner.  Decisions should not be made under false pretenses or effected in ways that intentionally bypass other principles of good governance described herein.
7. Due Process. The rule of law is rigorously applied and the legal rights of citizens (or other entities with matters before the city) are respected.  Standard and best practices are followed.  Non-standard practices are avoided.  Loopholes and ambiguity are minimized and not exploited for untoward purposes.
8. Participation. Citizens have many and substantive opportunities to provide input to decision-making.  This includes, but is not limited to, public comment at all public meetings on any topic.  It also includes respect for petitions, surveys of citizens, and use of workshops.  Government is proactive in seeking citizen input and accepts that input seriously and respectfully.
9. Accountability. City officials are held strictly responsible for actions that violate the previous eight principles.  Accountability should not be narrowly interpreted as electoral accountability.  Rather, many and substantive opportunities should be afforded to citizens for holding government officials accountable, including town hall meetings, liberal public comment, and a citizen-friendly ethics ordinance.

Good governance is not a partisan issue.  Regardless of where a citizen’s opinions fall on the political spectrum, we all want and should demand good governance.  Whether you are Republican, Democrat, or Independent; or, conservative, liberal, or moderate—we all aspire to clean, competent, and citizen-centric government.  The Milton Coalition believes that good governance will result in good outcomes for Milton . . . outcomes that reflect community values and that have buy-in from the community.

Please support the Milton Coalition in our efforts to secure good governance for Milton’s citizens.  Please refer to our Citizen Action Guide for suggestions on what you can do to further good governance.  Click on this link:

Good Governance: Citizen Action Guide

Tim Becker