There is plenty of holiday season discord at City Hall in Maplewood, according to an article in today’s Star Tribune. For those of us in city government biz, we’ve been watching the discord grow and bloom for a couple of years now. For example, I think it was just last week that I got an email message from a Maplewood city staff member asking me if our City Department Directors were “organized” (i.e. – represented by a union or professional association). And if they weren’t currently organized, have they ever considered it? Wow. The answers are: No, they are not represented by a union or professional association. And, No, they’ve never formally considered it here.
The volume of the debate, if you can call it that, has grown loud enough to be heard by the Star Tribune and other metro media. Now former city officials and even Ramsey County officials might get involved in their city’s local politics in an attempt to bring them some peace and common-sense.
In places where personal political agendas overtake good government, they like to say that “democracy can be messy”. Personally, I think that attitude can sometimes be cover for those who enjoy making the mess in the first place. OK. Democracy can be difficult. Democracy can be plodding. It can even be frustrating sometimes. I’ve worked in city government my entire adult life. I know that. But democracy can also be inspiring, and civil, and can lead to positive change in a community. It seems to me that there’s too much of the former and not enough of the latter in Maplewood right now.
I hope the citizens of Maplewood, their elected officials and their City staff can overcome their current level of rancor and move their city forward to a more comfortable equilibrium again. That would be a great gift for all involved there during this holiday season.
