Leaders of a city mired so deeply in a financial mess that they were forced to take the drastic steps of turning off streetlights and laying off more than three dozen employees are correct in questioning the necessity of every penny of expenditures. We appreciate their dedication to righting the city of Des Moines’ financial ship. But if the City Council can’t find $160,000 in its $321.5 million operating budget to hold a special election to fill Mayor-elect Frank Cownie’s unexpired at-large term, we’re worse off than we thought.

Yes, a special election will be expensive. Can the city afford it? A better question is: What is the price of democracy?

In Iraq, it’s estimated at around $100 billion. The right of people to select their own leaders is a cornerstone of American society, and we’ve spent trillions of dollars over time trying to extend that freedom to oppressed nations. To deny it to the citizens of Des Moines is just plain wrong.

The City Council can’t decide on the election issue until after Cownie is sworn in as mayor and his council seat is officially declared vacant. The appointment process outlined by Councilman Archie Brooks – who, curiously, won his first council term in a special election – is cumbersome. Under the scenario he outlined, the City Council could appoint someone to fill the unexpired term and citizens could force a special election with a petition drive if they objected to the process. Ruth Ann Gaines, who has declared her interest in the soon-to-be vacant at-large seat, already appears to have accepted the council’s dare. She’s gathering the 2,000 signatures needed to bring the selection of Cownie’s replacement to a vote.

Other variations have been floated, including gathering a list of people who would be willing to serve, but would not seek election when the two years is up. Des Moines needs a City Council member that voters can’t hold accountable like it needs another round of funding cuts from the state government.

It isn’t as if only a few months remain in Cownie’s term. It expires in two years, during which time crucial decisions about the city’s future will come before the City Council. Citizens living in a democracy have a right to expect to choose their own leaders. Council members have a chance to calm fears of cronyism by voting in January to call a special election to fill the position.