The Vote: Appointing vs Electing Planners, simplified. 

First: unlike what some have claimed, appointees are no more or less qualified than the ones we elect. The difference is in who gets to determine those qualifications, and why. 

When a mayor appoints, it is often like-minded individuals who will be subservient to and promote his or her ideological agenda. The mayor thus becomes “Planner in Chief.” Call this “Trickle-down-Trump” if you like.

By contrast, elected officials…