Bielarski: “Let the voters decide” is a false narrative
Letter to the editor
The argument being brought forth by the most vocal of the supporters of the referendum to return the governance of Gainesville Regional Utilities to the City Commission is simple – let the voters decide. Let democracy reign. Who could argue with that? I can because it’s a false narrative.
The challenge with the intentional misdirection of “let the voters decide” is that in our representative form of democracy, citizens vote for people who represent them. We do not have a direct form of democracy. We are a representative republic. Democracy is a universal abstract notion, while a representative republic is the boots on the ground, the how-we-“Get-R-Done” owner manual.
The founders of this country were all too aware of the dangers of a direct democracy. Public opinion can move by the minute with fear-mongering, demagoguery, and hyperbole to sway masses of people towards dreadful decision-making. The decision to make America a representative republic was a wise one as it placed bumper guards on the tyranny of the majority.
So, when I hear the referendum supporters’ hyperbolic spouting about letting people decide, I can only say, “They already have.” The voters of the State of Florida elected representatives through democratic elections. Those representatives, such as Chuck Clemons, used the legislative system to end the destructive governance of GRU by the City of Gainesville and provide formerly-unrepresented county voters a voice through new representation on the GRU Authority. It is a process as American as apple pie.
In an ironic twist, it is the supporters of the referendum who aren’t letting the voters decide. They are using the sloganeering of the “let the people decide” falsehood against the representative legislative system that gave approximately 30,000 county residents a representative on the governing board of the region’s public utility.
One last point: GRU stands for Gainesville Regional Utilities, not Gainesville City Utilities. It is now a utility governed by the customers it serves, but the City Commission and their “let the voters decide” supporters want to take it back.
Ed Bielarski, Gainesville
Chair, Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority
The opinions expressed by letter or opinion writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AlachuaChronicle.com. Assertions of facts in letters are similarly the responsibility of the author. Letters may be submitted to info@alachuachronicle.com and are published at the discretion of the editor.
Once again Mr. Bielarski shows his lack of understanding of basic civics. There is a place for direct democracy in Florida under the Constitution and the City and County Charters. The governance of GRU is not particularly democratic as it is set up now in that none of the members are selected by local representatives. They are appointed by someone elected statewide who has little interest in local politics or concerns other than it is a blue island in a red sea. If Mr. Bielarski was truly concerned about democracy he would seek the establishment of a special district and truly separate GRU from the City, of course, that can’t be done due to debt. The ratepayers in the unincorporated county are not responsible for the city debt guarantee for GRU. Their only dog in the hunt is the utility bills and not the taxes the city will have to raise to meet its debt obligation. The only way to make GRU responsible to the voters is to put it back under the city or create a new level of government. Alternatively – sell it and bring it under the governance of the Public Service Commission. Whether managed by the city or the amateur board appointed by the Governor, we are in for a cluster. In one the majority of ratepayers have some control, in the other, the ratepayers have no control and there is no regulation.
The only thing that supporters of the city referendum care about is maintaining the funding stream from GRU to the city. This has nothing to do with democracy and most people are able to see straight through your prepared taking points.
To most voters and ratepayers this is economical, not political.
Why is it so hard to acknowledge that the city is ripping off all utility ratepayers for their own political agenda? Enough already
That’s false Slice. I support the referendum, though I won’t be able to vote, and the ONLY ISSUE I care about is the city maintaining ownership and control of it’s property.
From what I’ve seen, Mr. Bielarski has a better understanding of basic civics than any city commissioner has of finance or economics. They can’t even balance a checkbook, much less manage the finances of a multi-million dollar utility.
I believe those against the Authority are against it simply because they don’t feel it represents them and it was appointed/elected by a group who doesn’t share their same political views.
Sounds quite a bit like those against the City Commission if you think about it. I don’t think they should be running GRU because they’re fiscally incompetent and should not be using the utility profits to fund their painted crosswalks and other pet projects .
You’re obsessed with the process instead of the outcomes. The evidence shows the biomass wasn’t scientifically and economically valid. Plus, using GRU to fund trendy luxuries on,y helped city comm. networking for their next careers.
When the idea of a biomess plant was first being discussed, I went to Lakeland and chatted with them about their plant and asked them if they would do it again. A resounding, “NO!” I never thought it was a good idea and advocated for a 220 megawatt coal fired plant. One can burn coal as cleanly as natural gas and we have over 300 years of KNOWN domestic coal reserves.
Good post Give me a Break, but most commenting here will just denounce the city commission, as if questionable or bad decisions were grounds for ending democracy, or like Bielarski, have no understanding of what democracy is.
Find the err of democracy in the Federalist Papers. Learn. Democracy sounds very civilized, but in its purest form is most barbaric. Think, ‘the mob rules’.
Move to Russia Hollye. You’ll be more comfortable there.
Sounds like the same tired voices who have supported one silly wasteful idea after another for the last nine years or so. Since Poe and the radical liberals without even a month of successful experience doing ANYTHING (A Hayes & D Arreola) before making it to the Gainesville City Commission and playing know-it-all/ Big-Shot. All of their spending ideas were ill advised but kept grabbing a larger and larger share of available funds. What to do? Raise taxes, rates, fees, then add debt of course! With Poe and the rank amateurs at the helm, it’s not a surprise that it ended in disaster leaving the citizens to pay off their mistakes. Never Again!
I think you already got your break. You seem unable to fathom why we have a republic and not a democracy. You show in this post that it is you that needs to retake Civics 101. GRU is but a cash cow to the City. Nothing more. Our representatives have done what is necessary to work towards getting GRU back on track so that it serves its customers throughout the County more efficiently and eliminated the Gainesville Piggy Bank.
Well school me Hollye. Clearly you can’t, because a representative democracy is still a democracy.
Is that too hard for you to grasp?
Jazzhole must be at the end of his rope with the failed entities he continues to support that killed the Goose that laid the Golden Egg , year after year, until they got caught and now apparently owe GRU $68 million in unjustified withdrawals. Some very harsh comment towards the sensible people that have comments. Time to pay up the citizens you claim you want to help.
Well stated Ed! Despite the ignorance of some people who seem to think you do not comprehend “basic civics”, it is obvious that they have no concept that the law was done legally, especially with the proof of the money taken by the city that should not have been. The JLAC audit also proved the city was not doing what was proper so with that something had to be done and that was through a special act of which I have to wonder if any of them have read through any of that within the state website. They claim it isn’t legal when in fact Jim Konish even read the same law I did within the state.
That Girl, it’s obvious he does not understand “basic civics”.
-Representative democracies are democracies.
-Referendums are recognized and allowed in the Florida Constitution and are a form of direct democracy.
-“Authority” members appointed by the governor and not subject to election do not represent anyone but the governor and certainly don’t represent GRU customers who had and have no say in their appointment or any of it’s actions.
I gave him a middle school ‘C’ for this paper but have reconsidered and now have him at a “D”. I don’t think he misspelled any words
We wouldnt want any non representative appointees running our lives now would we… ATF, IRS, EPA, FCC, FDA, NSA, SEC, HHS, HUD, FBI CIA……………..
Cornholio, passive-aggresive, but I’ll allow it considering the thread.
Corn, not sure what all those are, though I know most. They are all appointed by elected officials and have terms certain. Since they are all federal and have federal powers, they are appointed by the President and many with the concurrence of the House and/or US Senate, not the UN or Mexico.
You see the difference?
Did anyone really think the liberals would ever tell the truth?
Lou. Conservatives are all liars.
That’s a bunch of BS. Ed. Direct democracy is better than being represented by crooked politicians. Section 1 of the Florida constitution states: “All political power is inherent in the people.”
Look at the abortion issue. The majority of the people want it legal but our “elected representatives” don’t. That’s why this November there’s a referendum about abortion.
What you really want Ed is a government ruled by the minority.
Paulie
Your name calling and disrespect for the GRU board executives, from various professional entities, is appalling. Your “majority “ statement is incorrect. Many spoke out against the biomass plant but were ignored.
Abortion and children’s sexual reassignment, is totally against God’s will but the wish of the loud minority.
Representation works when a majority actually vote, not ~6% in springtime (winners get 3%+) 😡
The majority? I hardly think so.
6% of the city population voted in springtime, at least in later years. Before they switched to fall recently.
Should be easy pickings then for opposition candidates, no?
Paulie, you are correct and referendums are constitutionally legal in Florida, even if the GOP is in the business of trying to eliminate them and squelch the results – see Felon Voting and Springs Health Funding amendments. That’s another thing wrong with Bielarski’s middle school ‘C’ paper he submitted here. Of course bringing up the fact that we generally are ruled by elected representatives in America (except town halls in New England) does not make us not democracies. That’s a ridiculous proposition as representative democracies are a subset of democracies. What he is actually arguing for is autocratic state control over local government, a position I doubt he promoted when he ran for mayor.
Try it. But beware, it requires deep thought: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed10.asp
Uh, I have a job and a life Hollye. Can you give us the summary?
“Let the voters decide” is a false narrative is MORE than a false narrative – it is a HUGE distraction by the Miscreants (who are not liberals just opportunists) who want the Authority and Public to focus on their BS referendum rather than focusing on taking the necessary Bold ACTION to stop the HEMORRHAGING of money from GRU.
Of course the miscreants want their CASH COW back so they can continue funding their Massive Staff, their Lavish Salaries and their Bloated City Budgets on the Backs of GRU Customers.
And, many of these miscreants and their spouses have BENEFITED from the biomass/tree burner debacle AND want to continue sucking money out of the pockets of GRU customers for their own monetary gain – under the GUISE of wanting to save the world from global warming on the backs of GRU customers.
They are NOT progressives – they are regressives who have mastered the art of how to bamboozle the masses.
Informed Democrats continue to support the GRU Authority – and tried to stop the the biomass boondoggle from happening in the first place.
Don’t take the bait – stay focused on the GRU Authority.
As always, you nail it….
That sounds like a platform for someone running for city commission, not a justification for stealing GRU control away from the city and it’s voters.
Hanrahan implementing UN Kyoto protocol here to stop global warming and ruining our electric utility was not democracy, nor is zero waste by 2050…
it’s the same bunch of Satan loving, commi globalist totalitarians who want to implement vaccine passports and great reset…
They ruined our dollar, our economy, and took our freedom & liberty.
Local government needs to stay in their lane and focus on essential services and that’s it.
The City built and owns GRU, not the state of Florida.
And the Leftist City Commission, left unchecked, will completely destroy it, without guardrails…
If that occurs, the citizens of Gainesville should be and will be held accountable.
Is that a problem?
Accountable?? Let’s start with a check back to GRU ratepayers for $68 millions .
Captain, the city owns GRU and it’s profits, not the customers. Same as if you were served by Duke or FPL.
If true, they are scr&&&&wed
The City did not build GRU. Check your history.
Hollye, Boulware Springs was owned by the city since the 1890s and was how Gainesville got UF here. It was between us and Lake City. The downtown Kelly Power Plant was completed in 1914. Yes, the city bought Gainesville Gas later.
The city built GRU, not the state, and owns GRU, not the state.
If Perry (he of the illegal donation of $100k from FPL) and Clemons want to run a power plant, they should get their voters in Ocala, Trenton, Newberry, and Williston to pay for it.
GRU and the City were harmed by a *flawed* representative democracy when only 3% of residents actually elected the winning candidates. In the city limits. The elections excluded GRU’s non-city customers.
So, we got the most convoluted “representation” that made trendy decisions that no longer have scientific or economic backing.
Everybody is stuck with those decisions. The bond rating agencies are taking notice, too
Excellent letter as well as accurate and truthful. Thanks, Ed.
The State of Florida has expressly and unambiguously preempted Gainesville City Commission governance of GRU. Even if City voters gathered the required signatures to put forth the question posed, the state preemption would apply. David Wagner reminded me this morning that the nullified local airboat ban demonstrates this fundamental legal principle.
Dude, that’s not a “legal principle”, it’s a fascist principle.
Call it what you want it’s legal principle. Simple as that. You and GCC loses again. $1.8 in debt and counting.
Bielarski’s argument is alarmingly illogical and does not prove his point. Yes, we all know our form of democracy is representative and given voters rejected him as mayor he knows this better than most. It is still a democracy (“a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.”).
He is arguing instead for state control of local issues, including management of property those local citizens own, not the state. One wonders if had won his campaign for Mayor if he would have still favored this weak kneed surrender of city property and autonomy to Big Daddy In High Heels in Tallahassee.
Additionally he claims that all GRU customers are now “represented”. No they aren’t. The “Authority” was appointed by the Governor and customers had no say in that, or in any future “Authority” members. WTH is he talking about?
Hey, Bielarski has every right to argue in support of the authority he now chairs and we should all hope he does a good job of running it. But this particular screed is not reassuring, lacking in either reason or honesty, and we can’t know which of those failings led him to these ridiculous claims. Try again Ed, but cut the crap.
I love how you pontificate behind your anonymity as you mislead and miss direct what I wrote. I specifically said that we don’t have a direct democracy. We have a representative republic based on the broader concept of democracy. Words matter so don’t abuse them.
BTW, it is hard to take you seriously when you hide behind a mask.
Very true, Ed. It is easy to attack from a veiled position. Maybe Jazzman should reveal himself.
Just follow the trail.
Hollye, I assume you mean “all commenters here should reveal themselves.”
PS I am not a public figure and you would not know me unless you hired my company or one of your friends did, and it’s a small company building 1-2 houses a year.
Also, I have no idea who you are and don’t care. I’m in it for the exchange and debating of ideas. Got it from my father I guess, who used to start arguments around the dinner table growing up, and now my son is finally making money on this family tradition as a very successful lawyer, 20 years as a federal prosecutor (cases covered in national press, etc) and just now entering private practice.
Ed, there is no point to your statement. A representative democracy is no less a democracy. In a representative democracy, voters choose their leaders. They rejected you a couple of years ago when you ran and had no say in your position now. Sorry, but your position is in violation of the principle of democracy and your claim that GRU customers outside the city now have representation is BS. Our Tallahassee overlord in Go-Go boots appointed you.
PS, you might notice that I am not alone among commenters here in shielding my identity. You had a public position for which you were paid, and we don’t. You chose that career. Anonymity – see the privacy of the voting booth – is another principle of democracy you don’t seem to get.
Speaking of crap.
Despite your continual avoidance and constant boasting of how you treated your employees, many are still waiting to hear what corrective actions you did with those who didn’t follow “your” rules.
Maybe you’re still faking it?
You, I am amused at your persistent asking of this question, which is of no consequence to anyone. Let me make it simple – I have no “rules” and not enough – if any – instances of employees not following what any of us would consider normal behavior during work.
Maybe you want to argue about that, but I won’t as it’s pointless and boring.
Not making an argument, calling out the apparent hypocrisy.
Thanks for making that point.
Wasn’t that difficult.
Why can’t we all just get along?
Seriously, the City Commission, over time, has systematically robbed GRU for 20ish years. I, as a longtime GRU employee am tired of taking my GRU shirt off when I go into Walmart because I get heckled. My son was buying groceries at Publix with a reusable GRU grocery bag and was berated in the check-out line. I say it’s time we let someone else direct the Utility.
True, current and previous City Commissions do lots of referendums (or is it referenda) that increase their powers and stymie citizen proposed reform. Recent history demonstrates that the city commission successfully used referendums backed by nonsensical propaganda that actually worked to get voters to vote against their own interests. This time voters are like hostages threatened that if we vote against city commission and city manager control over GRU, they will increase our taxes. Blackmail by referendum?
Several recent self-serving referendums were passed semi-automatically, like the one that extended the terms of city commissioners, one that increase their powers, one that created a new elected separate official and some that increased taxes, all of which were packaged by city lawyers, expensive consultants and agencies using undisclosed amounts of the public’s money. And then there is the Gainesville Florida Referendum Support Staff, the many executives who occupy city hall suites.
The city commission can be confidant about this referendum because they know that the dominant local party will dominate at the polls in November and like any political party, will respond positively and collectively to nonsense if the nonsense is properly packaged with nonsensical commission presentations and by followers with strong political words that support the party’s collective interests rather than those of working class, the rank and file and the many students who can barely afford the utilities and the rent.
Its seems odd that we citizens so easily follow but its just who we are, generally well meaning primates who have evolved to support most anything a “leader” tells us to even when its naked nonsense and against our own interests. But just to assure that we vote for their referendum they will spend lots of our money on propaganda about how well they have run the fabulously indebted business to which we pay the excess interest and why they should continue to be in charge of it.
The local media will also give time and space to their referendum nonsense and less to the evidence. If so, we will collectively pass it and pay higher costs than anyone within 200 miles. Finally, to
encourage us to vote for it, one city commissioner will repeat his curious pronouncement, essentially that because the city runs GRU we are entitled to reap the benefit of its profits.