In yesterday’s Savannah City Council Meeting, a 10 year contract with Pratt Recycling was approved. SCAD’s student newspaper offered the first comprehensive report on the council vote. The Savannah Morning News followed this morning.
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Savannah is stepping into the 21st century by having a curbside recycling program. This is tangible progress brought about in large part by a two part effort: a citizen’s petition effort under the state constitution which provides citizen’s the right to directly effect public policy (see O.C.G.A. 36-35-3 (C). and, a persistent effort from a small but powerful group of well connected citizens.
The city agreed to institute the program through an ordinance (law) which the petition called for so an election to decide the issue was not needed. It was a win win for the city and the citizens and it has set a precedent that when local elected officials refuse to meet the expectations and needs of taxpayers, the constitution balances the power of elected officials by allowing the people to petition for change, vote on the question and accept the outcome.
The outcome (curbside recycling program) was what was wanted and needed by the people but was being seemingly overlooked and forgotten by council. There was a significant private and powerful small group, Savannah Recycles?, that opened the eyes of city management about the need to recycle. This was done through their access to and their individual historic standing with city government. It was successful but fell just short of the mark.
Enter the citizens. A ‘advisory only’ on line petition was started in 2005 by Stacey Kronquest and it had around 2500 signatures. Many signatures were from people living outside the Savannah City limits so technically they would not effect a city issue.
I had been following citizens initiative (home rule for counties and cities under GA State constitution article IX section 2 since 2004. I had traveled to Atlanta twice to meet with the legislative council office to better understand this potent right available to all citizens of the state.
While googling petitions, I then came across Stacey’s advisory only curbside recycling petition and emailed her. We met and I shared with her the rights available to citizens under the law: to petition, to cause a referendum, and thus an outcome directly effecting public policy.
This was the genesis of what has become the defacto first successful citizens initiative in the State of Georgia.
John McMasters
Candidate for County Commission Chairman