HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-19-26 Public Comment - Z. Osman - Public Comment for May 20, 2026 Study Commission Meeting RE_ recent charter draftFrom:Zehra Osman
To:Bozeman Public Comment; Bozeman Goverment Study Commission
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment for May 20, 2026 Study Commission Meeting RE: recent charter draft
Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2026 8:57:20 PM
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Honorable Bozeman Study Commission Members,
I live on the west side of town. I am writing this public comment to let you know that I support the latestproposed draft charter.
A. I strongly support the proposed language for Article VIII: Role of Public Engagement in Local
Governance . Retaining the language as you currently have it in Article VIII draft is critical as it formalizes
the need for these bodies to effectively bring our neighborhood concerns and insights to the city
government. I agree with the principles articulated in Article VIII draft and urge you to retain this
foundational language in your proposed City Charter. I am grateful to Commissioners Franks and Cestero
for all the work they put into this Article. Also, I look forward to seeing how the city will help the
Neighborhood Association (NA) program expand to include the entire city. This can happen through a
deliberate campaign to encourage new NAs to form!
B. I also strongly support that voting will be at-large and am glad that the study commission is not
considering a ward-based system. Here is why I recommend against the ward-based system:
A "ward representative" who happened to have found a residence in the same area where I happened
to have found a residence does not mean that I will be better represented.
Sharing geography does not mean we agree on issues and policies.
There are no mechanisms built into the charter that would insure that the ward-representative would
vote according to the majority of their constituents. Other than constant town halls and constant
issue/policy surveys, there is no way to brief our west-side "ward-representative" to care about the
issues that matter to us in this part of town.
I believe my vote would be restricted when the candidate pool for each ward is much less than the
larger candidate pool we have in at-large voting.
If only one person ran uncontested for the west side ward-representative, then my vote would be
meaningless.
This west-sider prefers to vote at-large for commissioners who share my perspectives on issues and
policies that I care about.
While I do believe it is problematic how a block of candidates are often endorsed by organizations, I
do not believe that a ward-based system solves this issue.
Instead of a ward-based system, it is better that the charter contain language that holds our commissioners
more accountable to the public.
Thank you for all your work and dedication. I often attend the meetings online and/or view the video
recording. I've learned a lot. I look forward to seeing how this progresses.
Respectfully,
Zehra Osman
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