Do you want a town without elected officials?

Published 9:05 am Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I was flipping through Go magazine this week and saw a story on the Orlando, Fla., area. It wasn’t a story in the newspaper sense. It was mostly big photos with little snippets of information next it. The headline said, “The Town That Disney Built.”

By the way, there is more than one Go magazine in this great big world of ours. This particular one is the seat-pouch magazine for AirTran Airways. Probably the most well-known is Go! magazine, a rather successful nationwide lesbian publication. You also can find a Go magazine that touts tourist attractions in Springfield, Mo., and a Go magazine for fitness and recreation in upstate South Carolina, and a Go magazine that seems to be nothing more than a party newsletter for young, rich adults in the Washington, D.C., area, and a Go! magazine out of Iowa State University that shows teens the exciting careers in transportation, and a defunct Go magazine about the arts scene in Pittsburgh, and a Go! magazine that is part of the Monterey County (Calif.) Herald, and a Go! magazine that is part of the Wenatchee (Wash.) World, and a Go! magazine that is part of the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune, and a Go Magazine that touts top seller of Xango products, and a Go magazine that is a travel publication connected to Outside magazine.

I like to imagine the creators at each one thought the name Go was original, and the name Go! was even more original.

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This particular Go magazine story had an aerial photo of a town — not looking straight down at the place but at an angle as if from a low-flying plane or on a high tower. In the foreground was a lake. On its shore was a big hotel next to a quaint downtown.

There were words printed on the water: “Located 30 minutes from downtown Orlando, Celebration (www.celebration.fl.us) is a 49,000-acre planned community created by a real estate branch of The Walt Disney Company. In 1996, the first residents moved into this New Urbanist town — characterized by pattern-book architecture (there are various styles from which to choose); narrow streets that encourage walking; and a lack of elected officials. Today, about 9,000 people live in Celebration, which won the Urban Land Institute’s Award for Excellence as Best New Community in 2001.

On one hand, I salute the designers for embracing New Urbanist design. It is inspired by early 20th century community planning and architecture. In other words, it has sidewalks and front porches, with garages hidden on the alleys. People are more inclined to get around with their feet, visit their neighbors and go to the parks.

On the other hand, I didn’t like how it peddled the lack of elected officials. When I was a reporter in Texas, I covered The Woodlands for the Conroe Courier. Like Celebration, The Woodlands is a great, big, unincorporated, master-planned community. It didn’t have New Urbanist design, but, like Celebration, The Woodlands was run by a real estate company.

People in places without elected officials complain about the people who run the place just the same as in places with elected officials. The major difference is the people in places with elected officials can do something about it. They can vote.

In The Woodlands, some folks had issues with flooding and couldn’t seem to get their concerns addressed with the development company. They sought the help of the newspaper to get their stories before the public. Some people didn’t like the four-way stops that are everywhere and wanted better traffic control. Everyone had to live under neighborhood appearance restrictions, and some people didn’t like it when others were allowed to be in the gray areas of the regulations.

It is a very affluent suburb. People there had lots of money. I even interviewed Jack Nicklaus because he was designing a golf course. Not his company. Not his son. Jack was designing it. I was stomping around the woods with him while he redirected the placement of markers for fareways.

What’s all this mean? The Woodlands is filled with executives. Many are in the oil industry or connected to it. These people liked to be in charge and so they felt they had the right to boss everyone and everything around.

What did the development company that ran the place have to say about it all? Well, it was focused on selling lots and houses for the next stage of development. So most of its efforts went to looking good and promoting the wonder and beauty of living harmoniously and peacefully with nature in The Woodlands. Controversy? Concerns? They went under the rug.

These master-planned communities aren’t all they are cracked up to be. What sort of screwed-up place shuns democracy? Celebration even advertises the fact.

So when people in Albert Lea complain about the city or the county and gripe about this thing or that thing, there is value in that. What we say as citizens matters to the people who run this place. OK, yes, on some days, it doesn’t seem like it. But quite often our concerns are heard and addressed? Do you think the Albert Lea City Council will get rid of the Thursday preagenda meetings? You bet it will. It’s only a matter of time. That is a citizen-driven issue.

We live in a city that embraces democracy. It’s the real world. Living in Albert Lea is 10 times better than living in a town that feels like some sort of make-believe village.

Tribune Managing Editor Tim Engstrom’s column appears every Tuesday.