Bentley and Paladino joined Hillsdale professor Daniel O’Toole for a conversation about politics. Anna Broussard | Collegian
The City of Hillsdale should be informed on ways to hold city officials accountable, according to Mayor Pro Tem Josh Paladino and Ward 2 Councilman and mayoral candidate Matthew Bentley.
The Hillsdale College politics honorary Pi Sigma Alpha hosted a discussion on town politics and the mayoral race Oct. 28, its first event since the honorary’s revival this year. The panel, moderated by Assistant Professor of Politics Daniel O’Toole, included issues such as the roads, crime, and budgetary spending in the city.
According to junior Zack Briley, president of the politics honorary, Bentley’s opponent, Scott Sessions, was unable to attend.
“We invited Scott Sessions, the other mayoral candidate, to attend, and he declined,” Briley said.
Paladino and Bentley shared their backgrounds and how they started in town politics. Paladino said serving on the council is more than just being involved in the community.
“So many people just run on, ‘I want to serve my community.’ But what type of community do you want?” Paladino said. “This is something that people need to get more involved with, and they need to actually go into town politics with an agenda, political principles, and statements on issues.”
Bentley said the structure of the city council works against change, and his focus is helping city officials to do their jobs.
“What Josh and I have done so far is try to introduce real politics and hold people accountable,” Bentley said. “But the process still tyrannizes people. People don’t really have a voice, so unless the people get involved, including the college people, nothing will change.”
According to Bentley, addressing issues on the ground is difficult because the mayoral position in Hillsdale lacks statutory power outside of the city council.
“My issue is the roads and what I call accountability for city staff and council,” Bentley said. “That involves some reference to both the agenda and clarity for people to get involved. If we can’t get people motivated and involved, then we’ll just go on with the current status quo.”
Bentley said the council is meaningless without the citizens of Hillsdale, and the council should evaluate the relationship between the council and the city manager to effect change.
“We don’t have much ability, and without a majority of council, we are just voices in the abyss,” Bentley said. “So what is the relationship of the council and the mayor to the city manager and the city bureaucracy?”
At the end of the panel, Paladino said changing the way the city does politics is the most important aspect of being on the council for him and Bentley.
“One overarching problem is that we have so many agencies and departments, and there is very little political control of them,” Paladino said. “We want politics back. We want the people to decide where their money is spent and where their resources go.”
Voters will choose a new mayor Nov. 4. Assistant Professor of Politics Daniel O’Toole stressed the importance of the election for the continued safety of all Hillsdale residents.
“Many of the leaders in our community want to pretend away how rough the situation in town is getting,” O’Toole told The Collegian. “They’re in denial about the growing crime and homelessness problems and about our declining public utilities.”
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