One of the most interesting things happening in Rocky Mount has to do with who has taken up the conversation.
A Facebook page, The True Rocky Mount, has begun discussing a return to citywide elections and has encouraged citizens to sign a petition supporting that idea. As of this writing, the petition has attracted more than 1,100 signatures. Whether it eventually becomes an official petition is not the point. The significance is that the conversation is growing support, and that many of the voices calling for it are Black citizens of Rocky Mount.
The community that questions how this would affect their representation sees the benefit of this change.
A problem: I continue to hear one misunderstanding repeated.
People often assume that changing to citywide elections means council members would stop representing their wards.
That is not what happens.
Each council member would still live in the ward they represent. They would still know its neighborhoods, its streets, its concerns, and its people.
The difference is who elects them.
Here is the simplest way I know to explain it.
Suppose a council member from Ward 4 votes on the city budget.
That budget affects every neighborhood.
Suppose a council member votes to hire or fire a city manager.
That decision affects every resident.
Suppose a council member votes on public safety, taxes, utilities, economic development, or downtown investment.
Those decisions do not stop at the ward line.
Every member of the City Council helps govern the entire city.
If every council member helps make decisions that affect every citizen, it is reasonable to ask whether every citizen should have a voice in choosing every council member.
That is the discussion.
It is not a discussion about taking away anyone’s voice.
It is a discussion about having every vote shape the future of Rocky Mount.
People of good faith can disagree about the answer.
But we should at least be discussing the right question.
This conversation is not about race.
It is not about one neighborhood against another.
It is about recognizing that when seven people sit around the council table, every vote they cast reaches far beyond the boundaries of the ward they represent.
The future of Rocky Mount belongs to all of us.
Looking at It Another Way
Sometimes the simplest examples help us see things more clearly.
Suppose only one neighborhood elected the School Board, but that School Board decided the budget, hired the superintendent, and set policies for every child in the county.
Wouldn’t every parent want a voice in choosing those who make those decisions?
The principle is the same.
Every council member may come from a particular ward, but every decision they make belongs to the whole city.
That is why every voter deserves to understand the question before deciding the answer.
Stepheny Forgue Houghtlin grew up in Evanston, IL. and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. She is an author of two novels: The Greening of a Heart and Facing East. She lives, writes and gardens in NC. Visit her: Stephenyhoughtlin.com
View all posts by Stepheny Forgue Houghtlin
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2 thoughts on “The True Rocky Mount Launches a Petition for Citywide Voting”
Thank you Stephanie. Your posts are inspiring and timely. I’ve met with you several times through the past few years and I admire your intelligence and commitment to preservation and the perseverance you’ve shown to work through things that are out of our control. I have ownership in many properties in the area and my feeling is that it’s a dead end for me and I’m going through the process of selling out to another investment company. They may have an attitude less cynical. I can only hope that improvements will be made to better tenants lives and preserve the integrity of the homes we offer. We have managed low income rental homes for 55 years here and my father gave myself and my four siblings a real opportunity to grow his estate. Given the common sibling rivalry and problems inherent with that, we had internal communication issues that forced our hand to our decision to sell out. There was an opportunity for us to make a positive impact for the community, but I have dealt with the city process and now have little faith that I can push my brothers and sister to reconsider the avenue of liquidation of our holdings. I’m a little bit sad.
I grew up here in the 70s and I had enormous pride in my hometown. Rocky Mount has experienced many challenges through the years and has endured and somewhat survived. If t the town had someone, at that time, with leadership skills to understand the vulnerability of the city and had taken hold during those troubled years, we would be in a much different place today. I would not presume to blame anyone for the demise that has occurred, but it’s a shame that strong leadership was not available to step up to safeguard against the possibility of what we’re experiencing today.
My name is Tim and I’m at 919-524-8388 if you want a deeper perspective.
Thank you for your service to my hometown and I hope to run into you again sometime.
An excellent explanation with great examples. Spot on. Equal voice, equal representation makes a stronger city. Rocky Mount has used racial division as an excuse for all the under handed corruption for far too long. This approach to the election would make a difference.
Thank you Stephanie. Your posts are inspiring and timely. I’ve met with you several times through the past few years and I admire your intelligence and commitment to preservation and the perseverance you’ve shown to work through things that are out of our control. I have ownership in many properties in the area and my feeling is that it’s a dead end for me and I’m going through the process of selling out to another investment company. They may have an attitude less cynical. I can only hope that improvements will be made to better tenants lives and preserve the integrity of the homes we offer. We have managed low income rental homes for 55 years here and my father gave myself and my four siblings a real opportunity to grow his estate. Given the common sibling rivalry and problems inherent with that, we had internal communication issues that forced our hand to our decision to sell out. There was an opportunity for us to make a positive impact for the community, but I have dealt with the city process and now have little faith that I can push my brothers and sister to reconsider the avenue of liquidation of our holdings. I’m a little bit sad.
I grew up here in the 70s and I had enormous pride in my hometown. Rocky Mount has experienced many challenges through the years and has endured and somewhat survived. If t the town had someone, at that time, with leadership skills to understand the vulnerability of the city and had taken hold during those troubled years, we would be in a much different place today. I would not presume to blame anyone for the demise that has occurred, but it’s a shame that strong leadership was not available to step up to safeguard against the possibility of what we’re experiencing today.
My name is Tim and I’m at 919-524-8388 if you want a deeper perspective.
Thank you for your service to my hometown and I hope to run into you again sometime.
Your’s very truly,
Tim Forbes
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Stepheny,
An excellent explanation with great examples. Spot on. Equal voice, equal representation makes a stronger city. Rocky Mount has used racial division as an excuse for all the under handed corruption for far too long. This approach to the election would make a difference.
Rodd
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