Move that wouldn't make sense

He can, but he shouldn't.

Dunkirk City Council members go into tonight's meeting with the expectation that the mayor will begin dismantling a system that has served the city for decades.

Council members believe Mayor Ron Hunt will end the long-standing practice of having individual councilmen take supervisory and liaison responsibilities for specific city departments.

And, legally, he can do that.

But he shouldn't.

Dunkirk's system is based more on tradition than statute.

For as long as anyone can remember - at least reaching back to the era of Mayor Jack Mink - the council has almost functioned like a town board. One member would take on special duties over the park department, another over the fire department, another over the street department, another over the water department, another over wastewater treatment system.

Legally, however, Dunkirk isn't a town. It's a city, with a mayor heading up the executive branch and the council acting as the legislative branch.

And, as a city, it shouldn't have six mayors, with each one in charge of a single department.

So why - reaching back to the Jack Mink era and beyond - has Dunkirk done that?

Because, when you have a part-time mayor, that's what works.

Mayor Mink, arguably the smartest guy to ever hold that post, knew that since he couldn't devote his full attention to the job, he needed to have council members step up to the plate.

And it worked. It worked for Mayor Mink. It worked for Mayor Grant Fager. It worked for Mayor Bob Davenport. And it worked for Mayor Tom Johnson.

It worked because those mayors were confident of their ability, were comfortable delegating responsibility, and communicated regularly with the members of the council. In a sense, the council behaved not just as the legislative branch but like a presidential cabinet.

So why won't it work now?

With about a year and a half left in his term, Mayor Hunt is in a relationship with his city council that is at best dysfunctional.

Trust has been broken. Communication is fractured.

The mayor lacks confidence in the council, and the council certainly lacks confidence in the mayor.

But by breaking up a system that has worked, Mayor Hunt sends Dunkirk into dangerous territory.

He's mayor. He's the executive branch leader. But he's also working 40 hours a week at another job.

Those council member assistants that Jack Mink relied upon so well won't be there, and there is no way Mayor Hunt can get the job done without them.

The result, unfortunately, will be a city government without real supervision, one where the appointed department heads carry far too much authority with far too little accountability, one that will not serve Dunkirk well at all in the long run.

Was the old arrangement perfect? Of course not.

But if it worked for a guy as smart as Jack Mink and a guy as can-do as Grant Fager, it ought to be possible for Ron Hunt to make it work as well.

Can the mayor do this? Yes.

Should the mayor do this? No. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]