The word politics derives from the term policy, and the etymology of the word varies only slightly from one source to another. Wikipedia says the word politics comes from the Greek meaning “the process of making uniform decisions applying to all members of a group. It also involves the use of power by one person or group to affect the behavior of another person or group. More narrowly, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance — organized control over a human community.”
The late Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill, reportedly once said, “All politics is local.” With these two ideas in mind, we at the Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader want to tip our hat to the Rice City Council as it struggles with policies regarding its zoning ordinances and requests for variances in the community. It’s not an easy thing to make policy that suits all situations and satisfies all constituents.
We think the willingness of the Rice City Council to transparently wrestle with the ordinance issue and to lay the issue out in public in a search for solutions is commendable because of the risks taken by members of the council. They are not in agreement on all points, but it seems apparent they agree the purpose of government is to make uniform decisions applying to all members of the city.
Ultimately, the city council is responsible for the decision and implementation of the ordinances. But we would suggest they make more and better use of their zoning and planning commission and the legal counsel they keep on retainer. More opinions usually equal better government.
Those who undertake to serve the people by sitting on city councils, commissions and other governmental bodies open themselves up to public scrutiny and criticism and sometimes personal attacks for the decisions they make on our behalf. Often we citizens criticize with little knowledge of all the study and considerations that go into a decision.
Public officials, especially those serving in small-town government, seldom receive the thanks and appreciation for their work on our behalf, but they will quickly receive letters of criticism and blame for decisions that are made.
We talk about fairness and justice and ask our leaders at all levels to be fair and just, but too often as Frank Reagan, the police commissioner on the TV series Bluebloods said, “When people talk about fairness and what is fair, they mostly define it in terms of what they perceive as being fair to themselves. They seldom ask what is fair for the other person or group.”
Fairness is what we ask members of our city councils, county commissions and state governments to give us. Public discussion, such as what has taken place during Rice City Council meetings, should assure us the effort is being made.
Fisher Ames, one of the lesser known founding fathers of this country, said something to the effect that politics is the application of common sense to public affairs. Since public affairs are forever changing, what is wisdom today may well be a boondoggle tomorrow. We would also add that “common sense” is not as commonly found as one might often suppose.