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The founders of Fresno Citizens for Good
Government know that in a few years, Fresno will be listed among
the thirty largest cities in the nation. We also want to see
Fresno listed among the thirty best managed cities in the nation,
recognized for our effective government and for our commitment
to education, jobs, public safety and a healthy environment,
offering a superior quality of life and city amenities befitting
the size of our community. We believe all that and more is possible
if our elected officials all work together in pursuit of a single
interest: the welfare and prosperity of our community.
Fresno Citizens for Good Government
Fresno, California
May, 2003 |
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Winston Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst possible
form of government, except for all the alternatives". The reason
we launched FCGG is because we believe Democracy
is, in fact, the best form of government known to man, but we
also recognize that it is a messy process.
In the City of Fresno, for example, we exercise our democratic
rights by electing a strong mayor and seven members to the City
Council, each of them representing a district in our community.
These Council members often have to make decisions between what
is best for their district and what is in the best interests
of the overall community. That is the way the system is designed,
and it is particularly stressful when resources are scarce,
as they are bound to be for the next several years. FCGG
recognizes that there are times when Council members must address
the particular needs of their district, but believes that most
of the decisions made by Council members should be based on
what is in the best interests of the totality of our community
that the complex issues of a large metropolitan area are best
addressed by visionary leadership and comprehensive solutions.
Similar comments apply to the other elected officials in our
region.
What is also true is that all our elected officials are subjected
to a great deal of lobbying from single interest groups, including
businesses, unions and developers, to name a few. All of these
groups have a first amendment right to express their views and
an obligation to their constituents to advocate their views.
That is all well and good, but what is lacking is a powerful
voice for ordinary citizens, a lobbying effort that clearly
and unequivocally advocates solutions that are in the best interests
of the totality of our community. That is the mission of FCGG.
We are neither pro-business nor anti-business; we are neither
pro-union nor anti-union; we are neither pro-developer nor anti-developer.
We are simply pro-citizen. Our single interest is to build a
better community for all our citizens: more and better jobs,
better education, improved transportation, less crime, less
pollution, more amenities. And we believe that our elected officials
should serve this interest above all others. Many of our key
priorities as a community will require sustained effort over
several years and we cannot afford to have them derailed by
diversions in support of narrower interests, or sacrificed at
the altar of the next election. |
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