Rauner proposal stirs democracy in action

Staff Editorial

It was a Tuesday evening when The Daily Eastern News encountered Charleston’s passionate community members who proudly paraded their opposing “right to work” signs, partaking in a rather sensitive exchange with state representatives during a City Council meeting regarding the much speculated resolution passed two weeks ago by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The resolution included Rauner’s plans for “empowerment zones.”

Four council members and Mayor Larry Rennels unanimously approved this resolution in the consent agenda in one motion on April 7.

The tone in comments from professors, grad students and other faculty all mirrored each other; they expressed great concern about the ramifications to follow after the passing of the resolution.

Some said the resolution would shut out local businesses from winning contracts, and in addition, workers would then be forced to compete with labor costs.

Others could foresee the negative economic and social impacts of right-to-work zones, and one person even went as far as to use quotes from the city council’s mission statement in opposition to the resolution and how it was passed.

While we listened carefully, considering each of the community members’ concerns, The News realized there was a perceptible tension among community members that surrounded the council’s almost secretive decision-making process in approving the resolution.

More than the citizens’ concerns about the after effects of the resolution’s passing, it was the reserved nature in which it was passed that did not sit well with particularly one member, John Kraft, a graduate student of political science and a member of the Edgar County Watchdogs. He said that while he supported the resolution, he thought the way the council passed it was problematic.

“I previously asked the council and the mayor to place it in a new agenda and vote on it again after complying with the Illinois Open Meetings Act,” Kraft said.

Rather than informing first the community in an organized manner of the changes that would soon take place, using open communication and language that would allow community members the opportunity to

become involved, to feel a sense of competency and being granted a voice, the city council simply swept the idea under the table and addressed the matter among themselves.

We feel that it was inappropriate on the council’s part to have passed a momentous resolution that would and has affected all citizens of Eastern and Charleston.

This is precisely the reason why The News took note of the impressive amount of people who overflowed rooms and remained static in their spots, glued to televisions that revealed a live feed of city council meeting.

Council Member Brandon Combs said that until Tuesday, he has yet to have seen that many people interested in speaking at City Council for two years, and the amount of people at the meeting showed how much they cared.

The News witnessed true democracy in action, and we are eager to praise those who could attend the meeting to openly, civilly express their stance on the issue.

 

The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.