Challenges for both sides
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share thisNewly re-elected Scranton Councilwoman Janet Evans was correct Tuesday night when she declared that newly re-elected Mayor Chris Doherty is "going to have to learn to work with others."
Because Mrs. Evans and her "team" of Patrick Rogan and Frank Joyce won, they'll name a replacement for departing Councilman Bill Courtright, who was elected as tax collector. Thus, they will have a veto-proof majority on council.
The question is whether such a majority, in juxtaposition to the city's strong-mayor form of government, will produce consensus or gridlock. So dealing with the new political reality on the council is indeed Mr. Doherty's challenge.
The council majority's challenge, however, is to bring more than opposition to the table. It is to do more than say "no" - to present viable alternatives when it rejects the administration's initiatives. It is not simply to thwart Mr. Doherty, but to move the city forward.
The brand of opposition led by Mrs. Evans during her time in the minority was the easiest kind because the administration was left to effect policy. The power inherent in the majority creates the responsibility to come up with something better.
7 posted comments
"doesn't play well with others".Please Scranton Times, stop with your spin in order to protect yourself. Which is a major cause of your dwindling readership.This mayor is a polarizing agent.He, and only he, is the reason for the discourse.Remember, this is the paper that endorsed Doug Miller and Lee Morgan. They would have endorsed Judy Gatelli too if she didn't wait to announce her write-in in order to escape the wrath of the counsel speakers. Something's rotten in Denmark....and it isn't the new counsel.
On another positive note, if the new tax colletor Mr Courtright increases the efficiency of the tax office's collection of taxes and collection of delinquent taxes, all the extra money collected, and the cuts in the city's expenses, should be earmarked for the decrease in our wage and business taxes. It can be done if the new city council and tax collector get serious about it. Getting a handle on this tax and spend mayor, in combination with increased revenue is the only way to do it.
And maybe this paper will give it a chance and support those incentives instead of, what I predict will happen. They will side with the mayor and fight the new council, calling them obstructionists. We will then continue down the road to ruination, continued political hijinks and bankruptcy. I bet on the latter, since this is the Scranton we all know too well.