Most city council governments operate in a near-constant state of declared emergency.
As a quick exercise, do a quick web search for your city’s name, or any city, along with the search terms “city council emergency declaration” within the last year.
Did you find any declarations of emergency for your chosen city that surprised you? Do you agree with any of those declarations of emergency?
When I was employed at the County Assessor’s Office for the largest county in Arizona, I was required to search public records which describe rights-of-way for transportation, utilities, etc. I was performing public records searches for cities like Mesa, Scottsdale, Goodyear, Tempe, Gilbert, Peoria, Glendale, … and all the other cities that surround Phoenix.
It didn’t take me long to recognize a pattern that almost every single city council was declaring a public emergency for issues that, in my opinion, were a far cry from warranting a declaration of a public emergency.
The reason this tactic is employed by city councils so often is that, by declaring a public emergency, certain restrictions are lifted, allowing the city council to, basically, govern at-will, with no input from the people.
The sheer number of times the City of T____, for example, has declared a public emergency in the last 10 years is ludicrous. It is shameful. And, it is a testament to the involvement the typical American can afford in their own governance. Not everyone can afford the time to attend a city council meeting in person.
A city council government declaring a public emergency just to expedite the construction of a bus stop on a moderately-busy road is an outright abuse of power by a city council, in this author’s opinion. It appears that the rationale used for declarations such as the one I just mentioned is “Public Safety.” That definition, as many readers here already know, is a nebulous one to accurately nail down. And who in their right mind would argue against “Public Safety”…”it’s for the kids!”
Is the sky falling again, City of T____? Yet another declaration of a Public Emergency? When will the public be allowed to attend city council meetings in person again? When the “Emergency” is over?
This author’s declared emergency? Pick a topic, I’m sure we can rationalize it as an emergency better than any ‘ol city council can!
But, they get to write the definition of “Emergency”, we don’t.
If it were an actual Emergency!, Randolph Mantooth would arrive ASAP and get me to the hospital. There, Julie London (FYI, Jack Webb’s 1st wife) would apply a cold compress to my forehead.
Following that, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan & Martin Milner would arrive and arrest your City Council. 1 Adam 12 out.
A climate emergency will be the next way freedoms are killed.
Last September, the state of New York declared a state of emergency because of exactly ONE case of polio that was in July.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/09/new-york-declares-polio-state-of-emergency-00055925