Accountability Forums; The New Political Report Card

Accountability is a buzzword usually bandied about in two settings; the campaign trail and the classroom.  Two local coalitions are trying to change that when they host the first in a series of Local Leadership Accountability Forums on January 21, 2009 at 6:30 PM in the Edward Waters College Auditorium.  The Sherwood Forest/Paradise Park Community Association (SFPPCA) and The Coalition of Presidents of Community Associations (COPOCA) have scheduled the event, which will allow local leaders to share information about their accomplishments while in office and discuss a variety of issues that face Jacksonville residents.

In an effort to bring local officials and residents together, the event’s chairperson, Eunice Barnum, hopes that this event will “provide information to the public about each of their accomplishments since being voted into office.” But response to the event has been tepid, with only John Rutherford, Jerry Holland, Jim Overton, Matt Shirk, Angela Corey, Reginald Brown, Glorious Johnson, John Gaffney and Clay Yarborough agreeing to attend; even after every one of their elected colleagues received numerous invitations from the groups.

In light of current voter sentiment, it may not be an unexpected response to an event that will surely pose some tough questions for many of Jacksonville’s leaders. In the past year alone, two presiding members of City Council have come under fire by the Ethics Commission and one is  facing felony charges.  These antics, coupled with a double digit tax hike, have many residents wondering what the leaders they put in office are doing for their communities.  Accountability forums seek those answers and present a new grading scale elected officials will have to face, long before poll numbers are looked at in advance of elections.

Events, such as public issue forums, foster an environment where local leaders can come together with the communities they serve and better understand the needs and concerns of the electorate.  Choosing not to attend, speaks volumes on where a leader’s priorities lie and does little to bolster their once effervescent campaign promises of integrity and transparency.

With the current challenges Jacksonville faces, quality of leadership and accountability will be major factors when voters head to the polls and events such as this one will undoubtedly shape voter opinion. When elected officials shirk opportunities to address their performance with constituents, voters are further alienated and feel that the folks they put into office are nothing more than mythical creatures.  Leaders who have the fortitude to attend such events need to be commended with votes and those who scoff at the chance to meet the masses, may very well be looking for new employment in 2011.

Tags: City of Jacksonville, Florida Democratic Party, Florida Republican Party, Government Accountability

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 8:50 PM and is filed under Local Politics, State Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.