THE CITY COUNCIL FIRED? READ THE BALLOT AGAIN

Interpreting public sentiment on any subject is a popular diversion; the opinions available and a few coins will get you a cup of coffee. However, governance requires a bit more precision, a stricter adherence to what is written as opposed to what is supposed, to what is fact as opposed to what is felt. Conjecture arising in the aftermath of November's vote to change city elections makes for better discussion than it does democracy, and we urge those who govern to focus on what the populace actually approves and leave soothsaying to others.

Mayor Gene Rhodes is the highest ranking and most visible person to guess what 8,601 Cape Girardeau voters meant when they passed the zone representation measure last month. He told the Southeast Missourian: "I felt like not legally, but technically, the citizens fired the city council because, for whatever reasons, they want people to be elected from their individual neighborhoods." His opinion is as valid as the next person's. However, Rhodes, in his position as mayor, is trying to act on his interpretation of the people's will; he is on record with his desire to hold zone elections ahead of the scheduled April 1994 municipal balloting. His actions in this regard have far more to do with supposition than with anything Cape Girardeau voters indicated.

In fact, voters need no one to interpret what they did. The measure put before the public was to amend the city charter to read this way:

ARTICLE III. The Council Section 3.01 Composition of the Council and the zones.

A. The City Council shall consist of seven members, six councilmen and a mayor. All six councilmen shall reside in and be elected by the voters residing in their respective zone. The mayor shall be elected at large by the voters of this city. Said members shall be nominated and elected as provided by Article VII of this charter.

(For a point of reference, Article VII indicates that council elections are to be held in April of even-numbered years. The ballot wording is explicit, and misreading it does the voters no service.)

B. The zones shall be comprised of the original boundaries of the following wards as their boundaries exist on Jan. 1, 1989 ... and then follows the list of wards.

Where in the ballot wording is there a mention of council members being fired? In fact, it was dreamed up and touted to accommodate the mayor's own aims.

So there is no confusion, here are some other instances in which the voters have spoken:

In November 1981, voters approved the Cape Girardeau city charter by a six-to-one margin.

In April 1990, 3,903 voters said Councilman David Limbaugh should serve a four-year term.

In April 1990, 3,481 voters said Councilwoman Mary Wulfers should serve a four-year term.

In April 1990, 3,371 voters said Councilman Doug Richards should serve a four-year term.

In April 1992, 2,741 voters said Councilman Melvin Gateley should serve a four-year term.

In April 1992, 2,422 voters said Councilman Melvin Kasten should serve a four-year term.

In April 1992, 2,225 voters said Councilman Al Spradling III should serve a four-year term.

In addition, 3,662 voters said in April 1990 that Mayor Rhodes should serve a four-year term. And Article III of the charter specifically points out that the city council "shall consist of seven members," of which the mayor is just one. So, is the mayor also "fired" by the November zone representation vote? Mr. Rhodes didn't say so, not definitively, so we shouldn't assume anything, even though that appears to be in season. Our desire would be that voters not be choked with the multitude of words being put in their mouths.