DearEditors,

            The Port Huron Charter Commission meeting drew few residents, the evening of Oct 13^th according to the Times Herald article the next day.  The commission had invited citizen participation and less than 20 showed up.  Not cited in the article, but featured in Mike Connell’s Sunday column yesterday, was the fact that the vast majority of those citizens who spoke up championed the cause of returning to the system of City Council members being elected by wards.

            It appears that what we have here is a fundamental problem of democracy.  The common perception in this country, and in our city, is that the laws and policies are made for us, not by us.  Here the Charter Commission has a golden opportunity to push for more inclusive neighborhood  by neighborhood involvement in our local political process.  So far it resists—favoring the status quo of revolving door, familiar face, at-large representation. 

            I come from north of the Black River near Garfield school.  There are many different neighborhoods up here. There are diverse areas of the Southside too. Perhaps the old wards need to be revisited, re-designed to better represent our population concentrations.  But we need real change favoring grass roots democracy.  Let’s hope our local leaders will lead us on this path, and not drag their feet like Detroit Council members who went to court [fortunately losing their case] to prevent a ballot measure challenging their insider promoting at-large election method.

            In Port Huron, as well as across the nation, we need to move away from power broker political machines, and create innovative systems that welcome government by the people—all the people, as many as possible, from all walks of life, neighborhoods, and income levels.

Yours truly,

Michael McCarthy PA-C
Blue Water Pax Christi
2714 Stone St.,  Port Huron, MI  48060
810 982 2870
mccpax@comcast.net