While I was walking Uptown this weekend I couldn't help but notice the camaraderie seeping from Ohio University students and their moms.
The feeling of reuniting with someone you lived with for 18 years oozed from the pairs of moms and children, spilled out onto Court Street and infected even the bitterest of passersby.
The sun-shiny, joyful scene reminded me of another important group here in Athens -the Athens City Council.
All the representatives, probably holding hands behind that 4-foot partition that separates them from the common folk
sit there in all their majesty passing a multitude of legislation without the tiniest bit of dissent.
What's with the love affair? Well no one can tell for sure, but I have a few theories.
The High-Fluoride Theory: Perhaps it's in the water. The city of Athens was one of the last municipalities in America to jump on the fluoride band-wagon, with much resistance from a very vocal faction of the population. People here are crazy about their water.
Maybe all the teeth cleansing goodness has gone to our brains. Perhaps the same chemical properties of fluoride that make it marvelous for your teeth also taint your eyes a nice rose-colored hue.
It certainly seems that way with council, who will pass even the slightest request from the craziest of crazy residents with smiles, hand-holding and back-patting.
The Parking's-Just-Too-Hard Theory: It's Monday night in the spring and parking enforcement officers are hiding out in bushes trying to ticket and tow the next unsuspecting victim. Do you know where your car is?
In order to get Athenians and OU students to pay up, parking enforcement is cracking down on parking tickets in the city. The crack-down is just one more futile attempt by the city to control the parking problem.
Maybe the real problems in the city, such as parking and fire fighters, are just too hard. So focusing on street closings, bus routes and pets gives council members a sense of accomplishment.
The Behind-Closed-Doors Theory: Maybe one reason it looks like council members never debate is because those unfortunate residents who actually have to go to council meetings missed the show.
Before meetings, council members know what's on the agenda, what's in each ordinance and have ample time to discuss any problems. All this preliminary work makes it look like they wouldn't disagree with an ordinance restricting food intake after 5 p.m. to fight the obesity war.
The question is: What's with the charade? Why not discuss the concerns out in public? That is the point of a public meeting.
The We're-All-Democrats Theory: What if every representative in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate were all Democrats. Would they still vote on party lines?
The only council member in recent history to raise any points of contention on local legislation was Ed Baum. Is it any wonder, then, that Baum is also a Republican? When the city set out earlier this year to purchase the armory, Baum was the only member with another idea for the building.
In order for democracy to be successful, there must be healthy debate; otherwise, it's simply dictatorship with a lot of dictators.
Whatever their reasons, city council has lost the art of debate, which is unfortunate.
Linus Pauling, a world-renowned chemist and Noble Prize winner, once said, The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.
Maybe that explains council's problem: No one ever speaks up.
-McDowell is a senior journalism major who will debate to the death and has come close on several occasions. Send her an e-mail at lauren.mcdowell@ohiou.edu. 17
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Lauren McDowell
