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Eagan voters want no part of charter
A proposal to change the city's form of government became the second of its kind in four years to suffer an overwhelming defeat.
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Voters in Eagan on Tuesday overwhelmingly decided against changing the rules by which the city is governed.
Advocates for the change were trying for the second time in four years to replace what's known as "statutory" government with a "home rule charter." And the vote was even more lopsided than it was three years ago.
In 2004, voters rejected by a margin of 80 percent to 20 percent an attempt to create wards and add two seats to the five-member City Council. This year's proposal was more modest in scope, but complete and unofficial returns still showed it failing, with 91 percent of voters casting ballots against it: 9,563 to 915.
Those advocating home rule argued that Eagan is the state's biggest city that doesn't have it. They said the city would have had more leeway in how it's run, rather than simply having to follow state law.
The city's administrator would have become city manager, with more day-to-day authority. The city would have had to create five-year plans for major new infrastructure. And there would have been more oomph behind open-space protection.
Advocates said the result would be more direct governance by the people, with less influence from special interests such as the Chamber of Commerce.
Opponents said it was a solution in search of a problem and that things are humming along just fine without it.
DAVID PETERSON
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