Now that petition results have been certified by the Election Commission, it seems reasonable to reflect on what this means for the City of Oak Ridge and its citizens. City officials, in viewing the petition results, may draw conclusions that benefit or damage the long term prospects of the City.
On March 15, the Oak Ridge Observer ran an editorial titled "One-Sided Democracy". That editorial claimed that the petition was successful because City officials did not put sufficient effort into making the case for the project. Besides being demonstrably false, the premise suggests that the City needs "better marketing" to promote its plan of action. This is exactly the wrong conclusion for officials to draw from the petition's success.
The major causes of public frustration were the City's inappropriate promotion and fast-tracking of a major public expenditure designed to benefit a single private interest. The petition was successful not because the marketing wizards at Citizens Oak Ridge somehow convinced Oak Ridgers that the Pine Ridge project was contrary to their interests, but because Oak Ridgers have experience in this area - we have been burned before. The petition gave people an opportunity to express themselves in a meaningful way on an issue that many had little doubt about. The petition was successful because citizens have lost confidence in the City on real estate deals such as the proposed Pine Ridge development. This is a problem of the City's making. The City lost public trust through a series of ill-conceived deals that suffered from a lack of transparency and appropriate public review, as well as a tendency to favor the interests of a few individuals at the expense of the community as a whole.
The City will suffer in the long run if City officials conclude that more effective marketing will solve the problem. Citizens do not believe that the process of handling real estate deals is sufficiently open or fair. Nor do they believe that the review and analysis of deals has been adequate, objective and impartial. If City officials wish to regain the confidence of the citizens, a new approach to development is needed. Oak Ridge desperately needs a process that is followed consistently and is driven by agreed-upon criteria that are established before the appearance of proposals. In short, Oak Ridge needs a process that protects against favoritism and inappropriate last minute deals.
Between now and the referendum, Citizens Oak Ridge will seek more information, analysis and disclosure from City officials. The Pine Ridge development, however, fits into a larger context. Our ultimate goal will be to help define a development process that restores the confidence of citizens in the City and its decisions. For others who share this goal, we can be reached at www.citizensoakridge.com or at 220-0829.
For further information, contact:
Bill Schramm
President, Citizens Oak Ridge
www.citizensoakridge.com
865-220-0829
