Laserfiche WebLink
<br />7 <br /> <br />positions. Local officials already serve in numerous regional organizations in which they have <br />developed significant issue expertise. <br /> <br />Furthermore, current Council appointments are made by the Governor, resulting in significant <br />turnover each time a new Governor is elected; this is not conducive to building up regional <br />expertise. <br /> <br />21) What happens if an elected official leaves office in the middle of his/her Metropolitan Council <br />appointment? <br /> <br />We purposely made these principles high-level. We do not want to get into the details of a <br />specific plan; that is the responsibility of the Legislature. These issues can be considered as a <br />plan develops. <br /> <br />22) What about the criticisms of the role of the Council? These principles don’t address any of <br />that. <br />True, and many of us do have thoughts on the role of the Council. However, we believe that the <br />first step is to reform the governance of the Council. Once the Council is accountable to its <br />metropolitan constituency the role that it should play in the region’s future can be considered. <br />23) You mention a system of voting and checks and balances- can you elaborate? <br />We proposed principles which we believe are worthy of being embodied in a plan for reform. <br />We chose not to present the details of a specific plan, which is ultimately the responsibility of <br />the Legislature. However, we do believe that the Council should reflect all citizens in the area, <br />balancing the interests of large and small, without allowing the areas with the largest <br />populations to drive all decision-making.