Editorial: Charter will be stronger

Soaring high: A loophole in Red Wing’s charter came to light 20 months ago when the mayoral office sat vacant pending a special election. Nothing inappropriate occurred or was even hinted at, but it became apparent that a council person serving as acting mayor had potential to wield tremendous powers. Those included the ability to both vote and veto — a conflict of interest as well as failed separation of powers that the charter seeks to ensure.

The Charter Commission spent several meetings exploring wording to address this. Based on commissioners’ recommendations, the City Council voted Monday to amend the charter by eliminating an acting mayor’s veto power. Now a second unanimous vote is needed.

The answer isn’t perfect: The city could have a window of up to five months when no one has veto power over a council action in the event a future mayor resigns, becomes incapacitated or dies. But limiting an acting mayor/council member’s powers is an improvement over the current wording.

The charter, like the U.S. and state constitutions, is a living document. We commend charter commissioners for taking time out of their lives for this important work.

Soaring high: Wisconsin state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf continues to dog the income tax reciprocity with Minnesota. The rural River Falls lawmaker is relentless in her drive to make it easier for both residents and businesses in border communities.

Our states had an agreement for 41 years until 2099 that allowed citizens who worked in one state but lived in another to file a single state tax return. Harsdorf deserves applause for her commitment to championing economic opportunities and understanding that tax reciprocity needs to be among them.

Rough landing: Less than 10 percent of Goodhue County’s 27,356 registered voters made the trip to the polls Tuesday.

The ballot offered few choices, but we wish more people had exercised their civic duty.

The county has a reputation of being in the top 10 for voter turnout in general elections. Let’s meet that expectation Nov. 6.

Tags: opinion, editorials