I was glad to read that the Enough is Enough group is organizing to try to prevent almost total rule of Portland by referendum (Aug. 25). This was and continues to be fostered by the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The United States has a representative democracy, i.e., we elect persons to represent us, in this case, on the City Council. If the voting public believes that the official is not representing the views of the population of voters who elected them, then they can vote him or her out of office.

I believe that every city councilor should meet with their constituents several times a year, in a town hall setting, and discuss what the pressing issues are in Portland as a whole and then those that are pertinent to their district. Based on this information, they can propose new policies or modification of current statutes. The role of the City Council is to debate and modify these policies if desired and then vote.

There will be at least 13 to 14 referendums on the November ballot. Will the voters read through all the descriptions of these? I doubt it. Rather, they will base their vote on how good or bad the title of the referendum sounds to them. Citizens’ referendums should be reserved for those instances where the City Council continues to ignore the wishes of the citizens over a prolonged period of time, despite the passage of several election cycles.

Richard Niles
Portland