Growing up, I was taught that when something’s not right, you don’t look the other way. You speak up, you stay grounded in your values, and you remember who you serve. That’s what public service is supposed to mean. That’s why I’m speaking up now. 
Last month, our Ely City Council took a clear, public stand. On Oct. 7, they voted, six to one, to instruct the city’s appointed commissioner on the Joint Powers Lodging Tax Board, Paul Kess, to support the community’s tourism funding plan for 2026. They voted to: 
“Direct the city’s representative on the Ely Area Lodging Tax Joint Powers Board to: 
1. Support the Tourism Bureau’s request to receive 95 percent of the 2026 lodging tax proceeds. 
2. Support use of reserve funds for the Chamber and city requests for 2026.
3. Initiate a formal planning process in 2026 to review the funding structure going forward.” 
That was the motion. Clear. On the record. It wasn’t a suggestion. It wasn’t a maybe. It was a directive. 
But just a few weeks later, on Nov. 5, Mr. Kess voted to do the opposite. When asked why, he didn’t point to facts, data, or a new community process. He pointed to hallway conversations. He said, “I asked both the clerk and the mayor and a councilor, was it a recommendation to me or do I have the freedom to vote as I see fit? And all three of them said I do have that discretion.” He went on, “I voted based on what I felt was the best for the community as a whole, not because it was a directive that I must obey.” And he added, “I realize the city always does have the option to replace me on this board.” 
That is troubling. 
Not because we disagree on the issue, but because it raises questions about how decisions are being made. And whose voices count. 
Public votes matter. Council directives matter. When we show up, speak out, and watch our leaders debate an issue in the open, we should be able to trust that what’s decided in that room is what gets carried out. Not reversed quietly, not reinterpreted behind closed doors, and not dismissed with a shrug. 
And if someone in a position of power, whether a mayor, a clerk, or a council member, tells an appointee that a vote isn’t binding, then they owe this town an explanation. Because that’s not in the record. That’s not in the motion. That’s not how public service works. 
We all want what’s best for Ely. That includes transparency. It includes accountability. And it includes telling the truth, especially when it’s hard.
This isn’t about scoring points. It’s about making sure the people who live and work here, who pay taxes and raise families and run businesses, feel like their voices matter - that showing up at a council meeting isn’t a performance, but a step in shaping what happens next. 
Our town deserves leaders who carry out the will of the people. Not ones who substitute their own judgment after the vote. Not ones who quietly walk back a public decision because someone told them they could. We all deserve better than that. 
Because in Ely, we believe in doing things the right way. We believe in standing up. And we believe that when the people speak, their government should listen and follow through. 
Ian Francis Lah 
Ely