Let’s retain our own court services

Published 5:42 pm Wednesday, May 23, 2012

I am appalled by the proposal to eliminate City control and responsibility for our Auburn courts and locally elected judge.

Pat Burns has served the City for years, always with integrity, honesty and wisdom. My personal knowledge of Pat has convinced me he has always worked for the best interests of the people and the community.

The infrastructure of the City courts is too important to its citizens to “kick it down the road” to other jurisdictions.

Local voters need to know the people they elect. We seldom know personally the regional officials who do not live or work in our community. That makes us poor overseers to judge or guide, through voting, how they represent us and make decisions that affect our lives.

The Auburn Court is important because it makes significant impacts on individual lives in Auburn. Judges and court staff who are grounded in the community are more likely to serve the needs of its community in decisions made through compassion and wisdom. Regional agencies are more likely to operate in a detached manner by rote adherence to rules from higher up the political ladder.

This cost-cutting reform proposal suggests to me one more political effort to “remodel” the City in the mayor’s vision. As I understand it, he has been trying to get rid of Pat for several years.

Perhaps we should shift some of the costs for operating the City Council and mayor’s office into actual services like the courts.

– Deanna L. Briese