Democracy is seeming to be a harder truth for the Auburn City Council to accept and embrace.

Recently, a motion was passed to delay voting on the new T4.2B zoning, after a huge rush to get the zoning change on the council’s agenda. The motion was innocent on its face value, but rotten at its core. Here’s why:

We were told the delay to Nov. 7 was so the city could explain how we are wrong about opposing this zoning. Why Nov. 7?

(Not) coincidentally enough, the polls are open on Nov. 8. Also, a major (non) coincidence, new petition papers take a few days to process.

Meaning, this motion was meant to keep any (potential) petition against their agenda out of the polling stations, which draw thousands of registered voters and help petitions gather hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures in one day.

They purposely put a cog in the wheel that is the people’s voice. They don’t want people to have their voice. They don’t care about people’s voice. They’ve made that very clear.

I sent an email to our councilors, pointing this out before the Oct. 3 meeting, and asked them to stop with the games and undo their actions. Zero of them cared to correct this injustice at either of the October council meetings.

Who are they “serving”? Because it’s certainly not us citizens.

People should remember this, because it’s not the first time this council has done something of this sort, and it won’t be the last time.

Ryan Smith, Auburn

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