Recently Mr. Curtis has begun to openly attack Steve Clark’s tentative plan to implement a mentor in the process of starting and running a business in Provo. Mr. Curtis has stated that Mr. Clark’s plan will simply add more bureaucracy to a system already rife with unnecessary rules and regulations. It seems that both candidates believe that there needs to be some type of change with this system in order to make doing business in Provo easier, thereby attracting more businesses (and jobs) to our community. However, the manner in which the candidates seek to implement change is drastically different.
Mr. Curtis has made it abundantly clear that he hates bureaucracy. On his campaign website, Curtis states that he will “[reduce] the costs of doing business in Provo through streamlining and reducing bureaucracy…Government does best when it helps the entrepreneur and stays out of their way.” [1] When it comes to business development, Curtis wants government to be a silent observer and to interfere as little as possible. Curtis wants “less government intrusion and more economic development and growth,” but can he really have his cake and eat it, too? [1] The main problem with Curtis’ plan is that he will be, if elected Mayor, the head of Administrative services for the City of Provo, meaning he needs to ensure the system is providing services in an efficient and equitable manner. However, Curtis has already stated that he wants to reduce the bureaucracy of Provo and streamline business development, without giving a solid plan of how he is going to do this. The words “reducing bureaucracy” and “less government” usually equates to eliminating positions at City Hall. Yet eliminating positions does not reduce bureaucracy, and the number of employees is not directly correlated to the extent of bureaucracy within a municipality.
This is where Mr. Curtis is confused about what municipal government and bureaucracy actually is. Bureaucracy is simply an established order of hierarchies, rules, and regulations in order to delegate responsibilities and duties. If Mr. Curtis wants to reduce bureaucracy in Provo, then he will need to eliminate rules that are currently in place for potential business owners to open shop in Provo. In other words, Curtis’ plan is a clarion call for a complete overhaul of how business is done in Provo. This means authority outside of the office of Mayor; an effort that will need to full cooperation of the City Council in order to change, add, or eliminate current rules and regulations that are set in order to regulate business activity. As a result of changing the basic rules of starting and running a business in Provo, this would devolve down to restructuring individual City department rules, organization, and regulation in order to inform City employees of the complete overhaul of the system. Do you understand what all of these changes will mean to individual citizens and prospective business owners alike? More tax-payer funds spent; more time and resources utilized at the City level to train and reorganize entire teams and departments, including the potential loss of jobs in the process; and time losing potential business clients while we seek to reform a system which is not broken.
Steve Clark’s plan for improving the way businesses open shop in Provo is drastically different from Mr. Curtis’ plan. Where Mr. Curtis wants to tear down the current system and build it anew, Mr. Clark is advocating a map through the current process. Mr. Clark is seeking a mentor with whom potential business owners can communicate with in order to expedite business creation in Provo. This mentor would do the legwork in City Hall for the prospective owners, and inform them of forms, information, and fees they would need in order to complete the process. Potential business owners would no longer need to walk from department-to-department seeking assistance in creating a business because the mentor would literally walk them through the process. Mr. Clark linked this plan to the same tasks a personal banker engages in every day. When first entering a bank, a customer might know about basic services offered by the bank, but they do not know where to begin, what specific forms to fill out, or how much money they will need for services offered by the bank. This is where the banker plays a key role, because the banker understands the banking system better than the common person and can help an individual navigate through options and help him/her understand services offered. In essence, Mr. Clark’s plan for improving the business process at City Hall is to add customer service representatives who understand the process and rules set forth by the City and help potential business owners navigate through the requirements.
Looking back at the differences between these two plans, we can plainly see a vast difference in opinions between these two candidates. Mr. Curtis seems to believe that adding a customer service representative to the process will somehow add another level of bureaucracy to development here in Provo. When in reality, Steve Clark’s plan doesn’t rely on more government; his plan actually lowers it and makes government more accessible. Rather than a potential business owner talking to and filling out paperwork with multiple individuals from multiple departments, these individuals will have the option of talking with just one person in order to navigate, from start to finish, the process of starting a business.
The candidates have two very different plans which boil down the following:
John Curtis: Wants to completely reorganize the bureaucracy of doing business in Provo to make the process “easier” with “less intrusion.” He will do this by “streamlining and reducing bureaucracy,” which will require complete restructuring of department organization, operating procedures, and rules. This plan would need a majority vote of the City Council in order to come to fruition and may take years to implement successfully.
Steve Clark: Wants to add a customer service position (i.e. business mentor) that will assist potential business owners through the current system. This will require potential business owners to have a single contact at the City, thereby making the process both easier and less intrusive to the individual. Since there is no restructuring of government rules or organization, the City Council would not need to vote on approval of the system. The change could be implemented immediately since the representative would be navigating the current system.
Now, which plans sounds like additional bureaucracy to you? Guess which plan will end up costing you more in the end? In Curtis’ efforts to eliminate bureaucracy, he is attempting to make a mountain out of a molehill by completely changing processes he feels are frustrating and cumbersome. Perhaps he could enlighten the people of Provo why he feels the current system is in need of a complete overhaul, and what a new system would represent in order to balance the needs of a business and protection to neighborhoods? Mr. Curtis has stated that Mr. Clark’s plan is similar to what Ronald Reagan once said: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Yet there is another quote that comes to mind from Ronald Reagan to explain Curtis’ plan: “Facts are stubborn things.” The FACT of the matter is, Mr. Curtis, that Steve Clark’s plan doesn’t add another level to bureaucracy, since this would simply be a customer service position that would be opt-in or opt-out for potential business owners. If someone felt they could navigate the system alone, they would not be forced to work through a representative; if they got lost through the process, the business mentor would be present to assist them to get back on track. It is your plan, Mr. Curtis, which fits the nine most terrifying words in the English language, because if you are Mayor of Provo and seek to change the system, you are literally telling potential business owners that you’re there to help (and you will be the HEAD of government). Ironic, isn’t it? Steve Clark’s plan is the easiest to implement, while your plan, Mr. Curtis, would call for a complete change of the current system to something you deem better. In fact, I have found a quote which sums up your plan perfectly, Mr. Curtis:
“The most successful tyranny is not the one that uses force to assure uniformity, but the one that removes awareness of other possibilities.” –Alan Bloom
[1] http://www.johncurtis.org/prosperity.html
