Im all for public comment at public meetings but Im with the Board Chair on this one. There should be time set on the agenda for public comment. Having free open dialog on every agenda item as the meeting moves along is unwieldy and can be very unproductive. Elected officials are elected and sometimes paid to make decisions on behalf of the citizens. They should arrive at meetings prepared with the facts and with a understanding of the desire of the public. This is done through fact gathering, public hearings, public comment at other meetings and by being in touch with the wants and needs of the community. If every meeting is a free for all in attendance it is unfair to those who cant attend or those not comfortable with speaking pubilically at a meeting. A meeting that is often televised. And honestly why should a select few citizens who do show have any more say or influence over decisions of the board than those who cant attend. They were not elected to represent the citizens. Let elected officials do their job and vote them out of office if they dont. Lastly, this headline is a little off track. In my opinion the Chair isnt doing anything but his job. Which, by the way, is to run a productive and organized meeting so that the peoples business can be accomplished.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:18:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015