Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes!
“Who Will Guard the Guards”!
This phrase is attributed to Roman Satirist Juvenal, World Heritage Encyclopedia says, it is often used as a WARNING about the tyrannical tendencies of concentrated power to oppress and control others. According to Wikipedia this phrase is “generally used to consider incorporating the philosophical question of how power can be held accountable.”
How are we to hold our elected officials and city manager responsible for their duties if there is no communication or accountability? When the city manager is allowed by the city council to impose restrictions and penalties on the people with no regard to the laws and policies in place without question or VOTE, “who will guard the guards?” When citizens address the council in public meetings and in email and they are ignored, when the city manager thinks to rewrite the policies and rules adopted by the city council through resolution using press releases instead of through the people’s duly elected city council during an “open” public meeting, “who will guard the guards?” When state law requires transparency for meetings and those laws are ignored, when state law requires that a citizens request to public documents be granted in “no later than fifteen days” and thirty days have passed without the request being fulfilled, “who will guard the guards?”
The more we allow this behavior by not getting involved or letting the other guy do it, the more we don’t show up to council meetings, the more we don’t show up to vote, the more we are responsible for the distrust we have in our government. Ultimately, “WE” are charged to guard the guards, through the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, through free speech, freedom of the press, and the right to petition our government for redress of grievances. All we ask is that they do their job correctly and be accountable, answer questions from citizens to promote transparency, and to be fair and honest.
WE WILL GUARD THE GUARDS!
Thomas DeWitt, business owner and longtime resident of Portales, NM and a concerned citizen regarding the inner workings of the current city administration.
