Editor,
A city, regardless of size, is like a corporation. In fact, Westfield became an incorporated city on Jan. 1, 2008. The city’s residents are its shareholders. The city council is the board of directors and the mayor is the chief executive officer.
The CEO of a corporation is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the corporation and is accountable to the board of directors and the shareholders. The board of directors have the fiduciary responsibilities to adopt sound policies of financial management and ethical and legal governance over the corporation.
The mayor of a city, such as Westfield, should be executing the strategic plan determined by the city council, not vice versa. The city council determines the destination and the mayor is the bus driver. The mayor is a servant-leader who exists to carry out the directives of the city council. The members of the city council are elected to represent the interests of all shareholders, the residents, not just a select few.
The shareholders must hold the city council accountable for protecting the rights of all shareholders. If the board of directors, the city council, is manipulated by a few influential shareholders, then the fiduciary well-being of all shareholders becomes at-risk.
As we approach the May 7 primary, please consider the following question:
Who will represent ALL of the shareholders in the Westfield corporation? Who will hold the mayor accountable for executing the city council’s plan and not letting the mayor be a board of directors of one?
Donald Rainwater, Westfield
Libertarian candidate for Westfield City Council District 4
