Should the public have any say in which companies are paid $25 million to manage the city's recreational facilities? Yes, since the citizens are the only reason the facilities exist in the first place. In a democratic republic such as ours, it is the government's role to represent the people. It is impossible to accurately reflect public opinion unless you listen to that opinion, and all plans made by the government should consider and value the views of the citizens.
Atlanta City Council was acting in error when they summarily made a decision to hand over the management of a lucrative contract to a new company. It does change the status quo, but likely not in a positive way, given the risk of making the provided facilities worse than they were before. Agape does not have the same level of connection and kinship within our community, and the public's concerns are justified. A vast majority of the public is in support of extending the contract to the existing managing company, which is in itself an attestation of the brilliant work they’re doing. UTM has a long history of remarkable performance for more than a decade. Their company is superior to Agape by all business metrics. No wonder why people love them so much.
The city council is supposed to function as a representative of the public, and it makes no sense to proceed against the wishes of the majority population of any area. It only leads to restlessness among the masses. UTM has already proven their worth by successfully reviving our public tennis courts. The most important aspect is public satisfaction. In the current scenario, there has been a very strong public opposition on the matter of changes in the operation of these tennis courts. Some things speak for themselves, and in this case, the performance of these agencies is vividly clear to all of us. Without a doubt, the public is the best judge for matters directly affecting them. They should and must have an opinion, and their opinions need to be considered.
The public facilities are directly and indirectly funded by the people in the form of taxes and admission fees. All taxpayers have the right to hold the government accountable for its actions. They should be given control over more public matters, not have their existing rights taken away from them. After all, it’s the common public that is paying for the contracts between the state and these companies. They should and must influence all decisions that will affect them directly.
