Fillmore Gazette: Question 9

In recent years cc has established a rule that speakers during the public comment period cannot address individual council members. For this reason, many residents feel shut out of the government participation process. Should that policy be changed to allow questions to be addressed to individual council members? Why or why not?

The public comment period gives citizens an opportunity to ask questions or bring up issues. It should not be used as an opportunity to criticize individuals. I believe the rule should stay.

Residents do feel shut out of the participation process and there needs to be a method for ensuring accountability for decisions that have been made or issues that have been neglected.

We have resources like the internet, email, Channel 10 or newspapers that should be used to inform and communicate. A survey or bulletin board for citizen input could be created. The council must answer to the public.

The citizens have three minutes to make reasoned and detailed comments on the issues. It seems unfair that the council members get to use the dais to defend themselves, express their points of view and criticize the citizens for an unlimited amount of time over and over again. The citizens don’t have an opportunity to correct any criticism, misconceptions or misleading information leveled against them but the council does.

At the last council meeting, some council members used the dais to criticize members of the audience who are running for city council. This does not appear to be ethical conduct.