District 5 alder Tom Powell, a sponsor of a common council resolution condemning a U.S. military strike on Iraq, is concerned the council’s increasing attention to federal and international issues has distracted him and his colleagues from addressing local issues.
“I don’t mind doing it, but recently it’s been happening more regularly,” Powell said. “The good thing is we don’t take this stuff up until other business is done. ”
Six weeks since passing a resolution condemning the USA Patriot Act as a threat to civil liberties, the common council is set to consider Tuesday a resolution opposing a United States strike on Iraq. The resolution was drafted by Ald. Matt Sloan, District 13, and calls on the U.S. government to avoid “hastily implementing unilateral actions that would risk the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians without guaranteeing the safety of U.S. military and hindering the inability of Iraq to respond.”
Mayor Sue Bauman and the Madison Area Peace Coalition have both endorsed the resolution.
“We are very pleased that Mayor Bauman and Alder Sloan have taken this step to express our city’s opposition,” said MPAC’s Barbara Smith in a statement. “Launching a war against Iraq violates international law without improving our safety.”
Ald. Mike Verveer is a sponsor of the resolution because, he said, a war in Iraq would indirectly affect Madison.
“The Madison city council has a long-distinguished tradition of taking positions on issues that on the surface may not seem to be city-related,” Verveer said. “However, I would argue that they are of city significance.”
Verveer said the council’s resolution helps give Madison’s residents a voice in the debate on Iraq and, if passed, would influence higher levels of government.
“We not only provide a forum for these issues to be aired publicly, but we also as a local government take positions as elected representatives for our constituents and forward those positions onto other public bodies that are dealing with these issues, via the state Legislature or Congress,” he said.
The council’s consideration of the resolution has raised concerns among city officials and student organizations alike that the common council might be overstepping its bounds as city representatives.
“I don’t believe we have all the wisdom in the world. Our constituents have national representatives to weigh in on national issues,” said Ald. Dorothy Borchardt, District 12. “We have a lot on our plate here in Madison.”
Steven Singh, chair of the College Democrats, said that while a significant number of Madison residents might oppose the war in Iraq, the council might be going outside the realm of its function.
“I really don’t see what business City Council has in debating a federal-level legislation,” said Singh, who believes the common council should focus their efforts on more issues directly affecting the well-being of Madison residents. “We had a riot on State Street two weeks ago; there have been several on-campus sexual assaults this semester. The war should not be their No. 1 priority.”
Nick Cekosh, state chair of the College Republicans, said the City Council, by addressing issues such as the potential war in Iraq, is failing to perform its function of helping to run the city government.
“The job of the Madison City Council is to manage city budget and departments, run city government and not to make international resolutions,” Cekosh said. “I don’t want to pay tax dollars to pay salaries of people not doing jobs we elected them to do.”
Ald. Cindy Thomas, District 7, said she is voting against the ordinance because a common council’s decision to condemn a military strike on Iraq will have no bearing on the national level.
“Any resolution that comes before us that deals with federal legislation, we have no reason to participate in as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “This common council has anointed itself as a mini-Congress. Lots of alders seem to get a big head casting votes on larger issues. Maybe these people ought to take more trips outside of Madison.”
