People in power must be accountable to citizens

Editor,

It is sometimes dangerous to believe that those in power necessarily know what they are doing. It comforts me, therefore, when I see or hear someone question authority, as professor Hugh Witemeyer did in the July 16 Daily Lobo. Referring to President David Schmidly's statements about the search for a new provost, Witemeyer writes, "The president's remarks suggest that he does not understand the principles of shared governance ..." As a citizen and, therefore, an owner of UNM, I am invested in the health of my University, city and country. Sadly, at this time they are all sick. The sickness stems from an executive-managerial branch that concentrates power unto itself and a citizenry that has forgotten its responsibility to participate in its own governance.

The problem is everywhere. The president of the United States violates and writes laws with little oversight or accountability. Mayor Martin Chávez repeatedly disparages the City Council. Closer to home, the regents of this university selected the University's president with little participation from the citizens of this state - citizens who are the actual owners of this institution. As a staff member, I have witnessed the concentration of executive-managerial power and the resulting marginalization of the citizenry on a departmental scale. We should be afraid of any precedent that's being set in which those in power can ignore the people and the law. The people in power are no more intelligent or capable than the rest of us. It's important that we find ways to let them know they are accountable to us, and we are paying attention.

Sam Roth

UNM staff