Courage has presented itself at Amarillo City Hall.
It came this week in the form of a 4-1 vote by the City Commission to enact a ban on handheld cellphones while operating a motor vehicle. There would be no citywide referendum to determine the pulse of the people. On this issue, the majority of commissioners decided to act unilaterally to ban an activity that is becoming much more pervasive on our city streets.
Is the ordinance a good idea? As I’ve noted already, I’ve waged war with my conscience on this one for years. But I’ve finally concluded that the city had to act.
But whether it’s a good call or a bad one, I have to applaud commissioners for taking action, and for forgoing the referendum.
We elect these individuals to make difficult decisions, even though we don’t pay them anything to do so. They get a measly $10 per meeting, giving new meaning to the term “public servant.” They actually are servants of the people.
But in this context, servants actually have a leadership role to perform. Commissioners have done so with this decision.
The city’s action contrasts with the ill-fated proposal to ban smoking indoors. Previous commissions couldn’t pull the trigger on that one, so they passed the buck to voters – who twice have voted the smoking-ban idea down. The vote, though, did relieve commissioners of the task of making a tough decision, which also is in the public interest.
There will be a grace period. Police will need time to figure out how they intend to enforce the ban on handheld cellphone use while driving. Meanwhile, motorists had better accept the idea that operating one of those gizmos while driving a car through traffic – often at high speeds – is an act of utter stupidity.
What’s more, it puts the rest of us in danger. Thus, government has fulfilled one of its key jobs, protecting the public.