Ordinance for strong mayor majority vote progresses

Lewiston city councilors voted 6-1 Monday to approve the second reading of an ordinance that would require the mayor to be elected with a simple majority if voters choose to switch from a city manager form of government to a strong mayor form of government this November.

Under the terms of the ordinance, if no candidate for mayor secures a majority of votes, the top two candidates will face each other in a runoff election to be held within 30 days of the general election. The runoff will be conducted at city expense.

Councilor John Bradbury, who ran for election in 2019 with a promise to push for a strong mayor form of government, cast the lone vote against the ordinance, arguing that many elected officials win office with less than a majority. They include the city councilors in the room, he said, all the way up to the governor of Idaho.

But Councilor John Pernsteiner said that with a proposal to give a higher level of authority and power to one individual, that person should be represented by a majority of the community.

“The way that it is currently structured, it would allow for an individual in a fractured election cycle to win with a small minority of the population,” Pernsteiner said. “In fact, it almost guarantees that the majority of the population will not vote for this individual if you have more than two people running for election.”

Councilors also haggled over the salary for the mayor if the voters elect to abandon the city manager form of government. They approved the first reading of an ordinance to set the salary at $80,000, plus benefits if the mayor elects to take them. Bradbury had previously proposed a $100,000 salary plus benefits, a number he said would attract qualified candidates. And while he went along with the lower number at the earlier meeting, he changed his mind Monday and voted against the ordinance because it is less than some other city officials like the city manager and city attorney.

Pernsteiner said he proposed the $80,000 figure so it would give next year’s City Council some wiggle room to hire a professional city administrator to assist the mayor with the more technical aspects of the job. Councilor Bob Blakey has been pushing for a $3,000 per month salary with no benefits for a strong mayor. He joined Bradbury in voting against the $80,000 salary.

Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or at (208) 310-1901, ext. 2266.