Dear Editor,

The decision made Monday, Nov. 13, by the Marquette City Commissioners to ignore the will of their constituents was nothing short of a subversion of democracy.

During the regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, the commissioners argued that, though many members of the public came forward to express their strong support of Mr. Ghiringhelli (who was the fourth place vote-receiver in last Tuesday’s election), appointing him would not accurately represent “the views of Marquette.” They later contradicted themselves, though, by deciding that they would ultimately have the final say in the matter. For being concerned about “fairly representing the views of voters,” the commissioners were more than happy to put the decision into the hands of just six individuals.

The commissioners then went on to insult the intelligence of Marquette voters, stating that any candidate appointed to carry out the remainder of former Commissioner Cambensy’s term would probably just be elected again; it was referred to as an “automatic seven years” by one individual on the commission. Such an assumption is not only insulting, but ignorant as well.

Re-election is never guaranteed for any public official, and if the Marquette City Commissioners continue to ignore the will of their constituents, they will realize that truth sooner than they may think.

The citizens of Marquette have more than made it clear who they feel is best suited to fill the empty seat on the Commission: Tony Ghiringhelli. I strongly urge you, as they have done, to make your voice heard.

—Clarence Kinnard
freshman, political science