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Why not say the Pledge of Allegiance before the City Council meetings? Just because it was someone else’s idea? 

And why must there be a screening process to come before the City Council? The City administration claims they could possibly violate the Open Meetings Act if someone speaks to something on the agenda without notice. How can a citizen violate the Open Meetings Act? Here's your answer: They can't. The citizen cannot take any action at the meeting and if the citizen has a great idea then the council has to wait to take action on the idea.

Why can’t they just sign their names and speak? Put a list at City Hall with a finite number of slots, tell them they have 3 minutes or whatever and be done with it.

A few people gathered at a hastily thrown together meeting (there was proper public notice though) following the Council meeting Monday night to discuss open forums. Mayor John Spring said if the Council was to allow an open forum, it could increase costs by needing to have more police on hand and by having a need for a timing delay on the currently-live Council meeting broadcasts.

Those sound like straw man arguments to me.

The Council currently has public speakers. Why do you need a delay-system with an 'open forum' if there isn't a need for one now?

And more cops? Really? C'mon.

The mayor also said he needed to know what the people wanted to talk about ahead of time. Other governmental bodies have no problem with people coming up to talk. As a matter of fact, if the city wasn't doing backflips to stop it, people would just do it or not do it and the issue would go away.

For an administration that claims to want openness and transparency, it sure has a funny way of showing it.

justme
Posts: 1

Fed
Reply #11 on : Thu March 11, 2010, 16:21:45

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I will gladly attend to hear your powerful short speach.One thing I bet you don't stutter one bit and will tell it how you feel it.....LOL
Have a good evening man,
JMHO

bgough
Posts: 2

Fed
Reply #10 on : Thu March 11, 2010, 14:39:15

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Yes, if I have to cover a Quincy City Council meeting and hear you speak for three minutes every week, that's how it works.

I'm okay with that. The people who are paid in tax dollars to be there should be okay with it too.

Last Edit: March 11, 2010, 14:41:27 by bgough  

Fed up Qncyian
Posts: 1

mdblack98
Reply #9 on : Thu March 11, 2010, 14:24:05

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"Your crack-pot is somebody else's hero. They have just as much right to say their piece as anybody else -- and repeat themselves week-after-week if they see fit"

I bet you would not be saying that were I to rerquest to speak.

Pookie
Posts: 1

Been there
Reply #8 on : Thu March 11, 2010, 08:17:19

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I have been on a board side of the tabl during extremely heated meetings. You sit there and take it like a man (or lady). It is a time for public comment, not open discussion. If the subject requires a dialogue, then those rules get suspended and the board and that person talk, not the entire audience. Yes, you get some nut jobs but 99% of the people that confront the board have a legit reason to talk and sometimes, really good things come out of those talks. I was phyisically threatened at a meeting, and it still never changed my mind as to the overall good from the meetings.

What
Posts: 2

school board
Reply #7 on : Wed March 10, 2010, 14:54:03

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I have seen where people yell at the school board meeting.

mdblack98
Posts: 3

Crack pots
Reply #6 on : Wed March 10, 2010, 12:29:00

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There's no difference between signing up on Friday as is done now, and signing up on Monday as far as crack pots are concerned. The Monday thing is only a bit more liberal in that no vote is required to suspend the rules.

Your crack-pot is somebody else's hero. They have just as much right to say their piece as anybody else -- and repeat themselves week-after-week if they see fit. The ordinance has been written so that the speaker should be addressing something the council can actually do something about (no "save the whales" for example). And the councilmen are free to speak up and say "I don't think what you're saying is appropriate for us....or it's too repetitive"...or whatever they want.

I haven't heard where this kind of "crackpot" thing goes on at County/School level -- so why is the City an exception?

This is closing the gate before anything has happened -- too much wringing of the hands here...

UrKidsWillPay
Posts: 1

At the same time though
Reply #5 on : Wed March 10, 2010, 12:15:58

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you have to have some controls in place. Being for free speech is one thing but you shouldn't have to listen to "Pot Head Ned" talk for even three minutes every week on the virtues of hemp. If you don't limit the thing, you will get a crack pot that waits in line every week for the list to be posted to sign up and grab his 3 minutes of fame each week.

bgough
Posts: 2

Re:
Reply #4 on : Wed March 10, 2010, 08:47:07

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I agree the city has larger issues at hand. But if city officials have trouble dealing with small issues like this, then does it really give you confidence they can handle big ticket items?

What
Posts: 2

???
Reply #3 on : Wed March 10, 2010, 08:21:05

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Yes, other government bodies have an open session for public input. The school boards open session is sometimes like a circus. I am guessing that they just want to have some type of order to the meeting. People yelling for three minutes doesn't get anything accomplished.

WHAT

mdblack98
Posts: 3

Sad
Reply #2 on : Wed March 10, 2010, 06:31:42

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This would be funny if it weren't so sad.
The Open Meetings Act is to prevent GOVERNMENT officials from deciding things in the back room. It does NOT apply to citizens -- all you have to do is read the act to understand this.

And more police???? Have we EVER had a problem?

And timing delay? I'm more than sure that there aren't any kiddies watching the council -- it's only broadcast on cable -- and it's PUBLIC RECORD anyways -- they can't legally edit things out of the tape (though I do understand the reluctance to allow completely unfettered speech it's unfounded and far too overprotective). And since it's on cable there are no FCC restrictions to abide by that I know of.
The FCC's website says this anyways:
"The FCC has denied complaints in cases in which we determined the broadcast was not indecent based on the overall context of the programming". I would hope the FCC wouldn't find our council meetings indecent.

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