What happened to government of the people, by the people, and for the people?
I write this portion of my column on the 207th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Each February we celebrate both Lincoln’s and Washington’s births. Washington is best remembered for overthrowing an oppressive and tyrannical government in which the people had no representation. Lincoln’s best-remembered speech, the Gettysburg Address, reminds us that, at least in this country, our government must respond to the people from whom it receives its authority.
The Gettysburg Address was hastily written and presented in just a few short minutes. The speech, which still endures as the best American political rhetoric, ended with these few words, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” In this one short phrase, Lincoln echoes the language of our Constitution and reminds us that our government is created by us to serve US. Two hundred years ago, the very idea that government should serve the people, and not the king, was revolutionary.
So, Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington, please let me apologize to you on your birthdays for the shameful conduct that you see in Lawrence today. Lawrence has forgotten our forefathers’ sacrifices to create a government that represents us. Instead, we elect people whose interest is not in serving us, but in serving themselves. Far too many elected officials see their election to office as a stepping stone to higher power, or higher salary, and not as a chance to help the powerless. Any benefit we receive from their work is secondary to their self-promotion. Our elected officials, in their haste to get stipends, make political connections, get paid without working, travel at our expense, enter public contracts with organizations on whose boards they once sat, hire their campaign workers, fire their enemies, get free parking on city lots and streets, abuse their parking placards, shop for new cars during work hours, and grant undeserved privileges to their friends and allies, forget to do any work for us.
The recent expose on the Registry of Deeds confirms that our elected officials forget to uphold the oaths of their office, and violate the public trust. Story after story is reported about unqualified people being given jobs, campaign workers parking for free, jobs awarded to friends without advertisement or competition, employees working as teachers during the hours when they are being paid to work for us. Many stories have yet to be reported: stories about councilors having their car towing fees waived, while the citizens who elected them must pay theirs. Despite photographs and reports, no discipline issues. When we complain, our officials tell the world that we complain because we want the old corrupt ways to return.
So Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington, let me tell you, there are no old corrupt ways to return. The corruption never left. It is still here, and worse than ever. Today it is sugar-coated, disguised by benevolence, and hidden behind positive press releases. Its exposure is suppressed in the media when elected officials exchange paid advertising for positive press and media silence.
And for these shameless examples of self-dealing and self-promotion, don’t blame our elected officials. Blame us! We lack the courage and determination to fight for the government by and for the people that you left us. We don’t show up to vote in large numbers. When some of us decide to take back our government by the recall of our officials, too few of us are willing to stand beside them and publicly support them.
The Mayor knows he no longer represents the majority of the people. He stopped working for us when he started working for himself. He knows he cannot win another mayoral election, because he lost touch with the common, humble voter. This is why he spends thousands of dollars to prevent the recall. This is why he objects at every step of the recall. This is why he told us it failed before objections were even filed. He knows the will of the people. Rather than work for that will, he is doing the hardest work of his career, making certain that we never get another chance to express our will.
Such is the case with the rumor that the next meeting before the Board of Registrars will not be televised or shown on YouTube. Council President Kendrys Vasquez explained that it was a question of which department would pay for the work of televising it. That’s all we need in Lawrence: Press censorship!
I have been requesting copies of the Activity Report Changes on the voters list from November 3, 2015 through December 9, 2015 only to be told that it cannot be done. This is a printout will show who made any changes on the list by removing, adding of changing the names or addresses in any way. Richard Reyes, the only employee left in the Elections Department said that is impossible so I spoke to Rafael Tejeda, former bilingual elections coordinator who was fired two years ago by Mayor Rivera.
Tejeda explained to me the steps to be followed to get the desired results and issuing that report should not take more than 5 minutes. Furthermore, he said that nothing can be erased from that computer system. Everything done there manipulating the lists leaves a permanent record of the date, time and password of the person making the alterations. I now wonder if Richard Reyes doesn’t know the system or he has been ordered not to issue any reports. It’s time to subpoena Rafael Tejeda to testify under oath as to what he told me or ask him to come to City Hall and run the report for me.
The Mayor does not want us to vote on whether we like the job he has done. Mr. Mayor, we can vote now, or later. Either way, your popularity will be judged by we who empowered you.
Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington, we don’t deserve the gift of free government you gave us. We do too little to protect it and you deserve more from us. Next year, for your birthdays, we the citizens of Lawrence want to return to you that same government of the people, by the people, and for the people that so many have fought and died for. We must NEVER allow that representative government to ever perish from Lawrence.
