More Cooperation. No Chaos. Just A Game of Chicken!

In the proposed form of government, the idea of the petition challenge is incorporated in the charter to foster more cooperation and compromise.

Consider the "game" of chicken. In the game of chicken, we have two people, A and B, who drive their cars at full speed towards each other. They each have to make the decision just before crashing to either drive straight ahead or to swerve at the last minute. In the game of chicken, the winner is the one who drives straight. What will they do?

Clearly, both are fearful that if they both drove straight, they would crash into each other and be killed. Since each person doesn’t know what the other is going to do, their best option is to stay alive and swerve. Game theory suggests that each will choose the best low-cost option, which is to swerve.

In the case of the Initiative and Referendum, where the residents can challenge any ordinance or resolution via a petition process, the best low-cost option is almost always for the resident group and the township committee to compromise versus go to a referendum.

Going to a referendum is costly for both parties and there is no guarantee that the opposing party will succeed. Not to mention the costs associated with an election campaign that both parties will incur.

The fear of a challenge in and of itself is sufficient to force the township committee to do the right thing. In the event of a challenge to a resolution or an ordinance, the most likely outcome is a compromise.

It is important that we understand that in the proposed form of government, the petition to challenge process is simply a game of chicken that would foster more cooperation and compromise. We should not subscribe to the rhetoric that it would cause chaos through numerous challenges!

Prakash Santhana

Deputy Mayor

Holmdel Township