I was pleased to note that Paul Eneboe, in his historical account of the attempt to create home rule government in Homer (Point of View, Homer News, Nov. 14, 2013) got it exactly right: There was no valid argument for home rule  in Homer in 1975. Less so when the members of the Homer Charter Commission called for a three-year residency requirement to hold public office.

The latter issue was sufficient, on its face, to question whether the “power elite” of the community had the best principles of modern democracy in mind. The residency issue was simply a surrogate for the broader question regarding whether Homer had a political culture with sufficient maturity to govern itself.  

Regarding the current question, whether Homer is ready for home rule today,  I am as agnostic as I am irrelevant on the subject. Nevertheless, as always, I wish all the best for the community of Homer.    

Gary Williams

Mayor of Homer 1976-1978