For much of the 19th Century, the White House had an open door policy where presidents personally managed a vast number of federal appointments and were constantly besieged by people seeking government jobs. No appointment necessary. You just walked in, asked for a meeting with the president and waited your turn.
There was no formal application process to secure jobs. The president simply made the hires, often based on the office-seekers’ political connections. The practice largely ended with the passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883 as a direct response to the abuses on the system and the 1881 assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled office-seeker. (The current Netflix series “Death By Lightning” is an account of the assassination.)
It seems primitive to think that governments would spend taxpayer funds through a process where people simply showed up off the street and asked for what they wanted.
But the vestiges of that system still remain today, in some cases.
On Tuesday, the Columbus City Council at long last approved a policy that puts an end to a similar practice in distributing funds for community events and sponsorships that aren’t part of the annual budget.
Previously, a representative from a community organization could simply add their names to the council agenda under citizens’ input and make their pitch directly to the council during their regular meetings.
In almost every case, those seeking support could make a good argument for support. But you can’t say yes to everyone and there is a limited amount of money available for such purposes. Having to turn away these requests put the council in an uncomfortable position.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved a plan that replaces the old system with an application process followed by a later vote by the council.
It will be interesting to see what that application contains and what priorities it establishes.
We approve of any effort to bring order to this process, but the policy the council adopted only addresses one part of the problem, and probably the least important part. It will spare the council from the embarrassment of having to make a decision on funding an event on the spot. But it doesn’t achieve what should be the primary goal.
We believe unbudgeted use of tax dollars, outside of a crisis situation, is something that should be avoided.
While we believe it is appropriate for the city to set aside some funds for community events that benefit the public in some tangible way, we believe organizations should present their applications to the city in August, which would allow the council to make these requests a part of the budget process. There is a finite amount of money that should be approved as a part of the budget. The decisions on what gets those funds should be part of that process.
Community events are not emergencies that cannot be anticipated.
It’s past time they were treated that way.
It isn’t the 19th Century, after all.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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