Dear Editor,
Citizens are encouraged to go to the polls to vote on May 9th. The last several months have been met with considerable concern as the special election approaches.

On that day, the operative foundation Madison has been under could disrupt the future of Madison, AL. The government will either continue operating under a Mayor-Council Government or the new Council-Manager Government. This type of change affects schools, businesses, land and home values.

In other words, though said such change is with well intentions, it comes with a price that results in more government. Simply stated, it would be wise for Madison residents to champion together against this change, so the election processes established by our Founding Fathers for indicative reasons are maintained. This would result in the people of Madison not ever losing the right to elect the individual who runs our city.

In summary, here are key points to think about when you go to vote:
• Dangerous – Under the new form of government with a city manager nobody has veto power! The power is consolidated, which is dangerous because no one is checking the power of the council. Why is this not being advertised to citizens so they are completely informed on the power change?
• The qualifications, credentials and the length of time the city mgr will serve will be defined AFTER the election results. Why?
• Why push a special election on citizens WITHOUT telling them how long a city mgr will serve, what the interview criteria will be, what qualifications, and what certifications will be required?
• We ‘DO NOT’ elect who runs our city, which completely disrespects the election process. Why do this to citizens?
• Why would leadership not realign and reallocate resources within our ‘current’ structure BEFORE using a special election to disrupt the current form of government?

Please vote and vote informed.

God Bless Madison, AL!
Shema Rizo