This is a post I posted on FreeTempe which is Matt Papkes website. Matt is running for City Council in Tempe. My Adventure in Tempe Democracy We will be having an election on May 20th to support or oppose the Tempe 2040 Plan. I started attending meetings sponsored by Tempe city government to explain the 2040 Plan. The Plan gives direction to Tempe city government about the development of transportation, business and residential building use, recreation, and population goals -- in short pretty much everything city government does. As someone who expects to live in Tempe a long time I am very interested in how Tempe will develop in the future. These meetings have been the only way people outside of government could ask questions about the Plan. Tempe will be sending out an informational pamphlet about the Plan to voters before the election. On the evening of February 18th I learned that the next day, the 19th, was the last day to submit comments to appear in the informational pamphlet about the Plan. Apparently Tempe had put that information in a couple of sentences that came with the water bill! Where I live the water bill goes to a central address so I never get one. redtape.jpeg I called up City Hall on the morning of February 19th to find out the details of placing a comment about the Plan. I am opposed to the Plan and I thought it was very important to make these views known given that most of the pamphlet would be in support. I was told I had to limit it to 300 words (one half page); I had to get it notarized; I had to come down to City Hall – I could not email it; and I had to pay $100 for the privilege of making a public comment. I wrote the statement and got it notarized. I went down to City Hall with the statement and money. As an attorney I go to courthouses frequently. It is harder to get into Tempe City Hall than any courthouse I have been in. I am President of the Escalante Neighborhood Association so I often contact police and other Tempe department staff on neighborhood issues. Everyone I have ever dealt with has been professional and very helpful. But getting in to see them can be very difficult. I got to City Hall and got ready to go through the metal detector. The security guard would not even let me go though. He asked what I was doing there and who I wanted to see. I told him and he asked if I had an appointment. I said I just wanted to drop something off and then he said that she was out to lunch. I asked if I could go to the department and leave my statement with someone. He said “No, I will take it.” I left it with him and later emailed the person I wanted to give it to and told her I had left it with the guard. They cashed my check so I guess the statement will appear in the pamphlet. But my experience shows the hurdles Tempe government throws up when you oppose some government proposal. What you are reading is almost twice as long as what I was allowed to say in my comment on the 2040 Plan. Matt Nelson
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 19:11:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015