In response to candidate Mario Benassi’s representation of the assembly as myopic, I looked it up on Dictionary.com: 1. unable or unwilling to act prudently; short-sighted 2. lacking tolerance or understanding; narrow-minded.
I began to think about collective decision-making. I do not agree that the assembly is unwilling to act prudently, but it may be unable to do so because its character is a crystallization of the majority weighing in on the matter. Is the assembly lacking tolerance? Is it narrow-minded? Assembly members vote their conscience or the conclusion of their best thinking; we give up our individuality to the whole. Any assembly member will tell you that bringing your own agenda to the table requires prudence, tolerance and understanding; assembly members can be as disappointed by the vote outcome as you are.
The assembly’s voting profile during my tenure indicates that the assembly is increasingly diverse and perhaps thereby tolerant. Since 2011, the percentage of unanimous votes has decreased from 84 to 35 while the percentage of split votes has increased from 16 to 65. The Mayor broke 11 ties in 2013 and seven to date during 2014. This is not an indication of narrow-mindedness, but of broad diversity.
I appreciate your willingness to serve. Should you be honored to do so, I trust that you will not characterize your assembly as myopic, though you may have ample opportunity to think so.
Debra Schnabel