Posted by Red Devil on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 11:19 PM:
I posted this rather late as a comment to the original story and I know that article will be harder to find tomorrow.
We need to keep this story out there to hopefully organize opposition to the honorable mayor's act of censoring the electorate.
If my rant is unwarranted, feel free to let me have it. If you agree, lets do something about this.
Here was my original rant:
None of this has anything to do about the flow of the meeting or shortening the meetings. It's not about keeping an occasional Jay Purcell from rambling on. A strong mayor can cut off anyone after their 5 minutes or whatever time they agree upon.
It's all about the camera and no you don't shut the camera off anytime during the meeting.
The camera is there for citizens to view the proceedings and I thought to show the openness of city government.
Gerald Jones would have stayed on another 4 years had he thought of something like this.
He seemed to have this fear of cameras too.
Folks we need to organize opposition to this. The whole thing stinks. The whole meeting will be scripted from start to finish.
I know you have to have an agenda but you have to face the public. Hiding in closed quarters without a camera so they can chop the opposition off at the knees is a cowardly way to serve as an elected official..
If Kathy Swan or any other council member can't sit there 5-30 minutes and listen to anyone that wants to speak, then she or he needs to resign immediately.
I thought Rediger was a great choice as our next mayor. Even though I wasn't a strong supporter of Jay Knudtson, he faced the camera and took every question like a man.
Harry Rediger seems to be afraid of being put on the spot in front of a camera and CENSORSHIP is his answer?
If you can't stand the heat, turn off the camera?
Replies (35)
Hurricane*
Sorry my proofreading went awry on me, could be the vodka and oj possibly.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 11:22 PM
I can see the point of limiting the discussion to the agenda but I don't agree with limiting the agenda.
-- Posted by Old John on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 11:28 PM
I can only imagine how citizens would be treated in the safety of the council's "cocoon".
-- Posted by Red Devil on Wed, Sep 1, 2010, at 11:43 PM
-- Posted by Red Devil on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 12:38 AM
Wow, you think you'd be asking someone to cut off their arm to ask for advance notice to be put on the agenda.
-- Posted by almighty on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 7:28 AM
The poor man was so recently elected and this is the "Summer of your Discontent," and it is even Winter yet!
-- Posted by voyager on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 8:08 AM
This will be used time and time again to put the kibosh on any matters they don't want brought up in view of the public.
They know a large percentage of people will give up and go away, never to be heard from again.
Is this how you want concerned citizens to be treated?
-- Posted by Red Devil on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 8:24 AM
The federal government is pretty much beyond redemption since it is totally run by the banker elite and NGO's. The feds just pay lip service to the people. But it's not enough that the bankers have that enormous power, they want to dictate to the states and local governments too.
Keeping a close watch on our local and state governments is the only hope we have of regaining some sort of control of what government officials do to our lives. If the politicians got what they really want, the people could not speak at all. Looks like your mayor is taking the first step toward that goal.
-- Posted by Thought Criminal on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 9:09 AM
I bet he eats horse steaks too!!!!!!!
-- Posted by Mowrangler on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 9:12 AM
Great Scot, this thread has turn towards being ooutright silly. All the nuts did not roll to California afterall. Give the new Mayor a little time to settle in to his new job.
Use a little reason.
-- Posted by voyager on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 9:36 PM
Settle in by taking away the citizens right to speak in front of an open city council session?
-- Posted by Red Devil on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 12:05 AM
I bet he eats horse steaks too!!!!!!!
-- Posted by Mowrangler on Thu, Sep 2, 2010, at 9:12 AM
Nothing wrong with a freshly prepared horse steak off the grill and a bowl of horse tongue soup on the side.
-- Posted by gman on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 6:26 AM
I am also glad I don't live in Cape. But the rumblings of some type of planning and zoning group putting together a group of "rules" for developers in the county concerns me.
-- Posted by gman on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 6:31 AM
Me'Lange:
It has taken a while to agree on something hasn't it?
There must be an ice storm in hell this morning...hehe
-- Posted by Red Devil on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 8:27 AM
Me'Lange makes sense on this issue. I rarely agree with her but maybe Red's weather report may be accurate.
-- Posted by voyager on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 8:34 AM
Im posting this again here hope ya'l don't mind:
It seems the Council and Mayor need to rethink this ridiculous decision. Frankly I wonder if any intelligent thought process went into IT! SO with that being said, I will Quote Mr Rediger the honorable Mayor, "I am mindful of public perception and remain ready to revert to the long-standing policy of having a time set aside for public discussion on nonagenda items, should residents see the move as an attempt to quash public discourse".
WELL MR REDIGER (MAYOR) I think we see this as a move to quash public discourse. DO THE RIGHT THING HARRY AND REVERT!
Me'lange, you are absolutely right but the council can and should change their mind and REVERT back to the original format we all had available in years past.
-- Posted by GREYWOLF on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 8:48 AM
Me'Lange, I knew that and understood it all along. You offer intelligent responses and that ranks high in my list.
One of my pet issues is animal abuse, not the PETA extreme but more the ASPCA pratical.
Some of those lefties on SO are fun to toy with. I don't take them seriously.
-- Posted by voyager on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 9:06 AM
Lemmie: I don't care for your Kirkwood city council reference.
We can change his mind on all of this by voicing our displeasure. Making him feel threatened is not the way to do it.
There's enough nut jobs running around that are looking for ideas to claim their 15 minutes of fame.
No matter what the mayor decides to do, I would hope being afraid that a Kirkwood could happen here is not in his thoughts at all.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Fri, Sep 3, 2010, at 9:47 PM
Does this Lemmie character ever let up. I beginning to think the Mayor is on the right path. Its one thing to display displeasure and disagreement. Its another to be a habitual haranguer and grandstander at public meetings.. You want to make a speech, hire a hall.
-- Posted by voyager on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 11:22 AM
It's hilarious the way no one is for county zoning until someone reveals plans to develop something they don't want next door.
I was amazed just recently while driving in the "country" or what I used to call country and realized there's a house withing walking distance on every road I traveled.
I used to think zoning out in the county was foolish but now I wouldn't want to live there without it.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 11:27 AM
That's reasonable, Red.
-- Posted by voyager on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 11:34 AM
voyager:
I've thought about the same thing but every time I end up back at my original thought.
After what we've discovered with the Jones/Purcell private meetings, I really want to deal with these officials in an open meeting and not behind closed doors.
It isn't worth changing the way the council does business if there's even a small chance that a citizen would be scolded or talked down to behind closed doors.
I just prefer that everything be out in the open as it is now.
I hate to limit anyone's speech but I could go along with.. say if a person spoke on an issue that wasn't on the agenda, that person wouldn't be called on to speak in consecutive meetings.
So the people that like to speak on any subject they want would have to organize their thoughts and speak at every other meeting.
Other than having a time limit, you couldn't limit anyone as far as speaking on an item on the evenings agenda.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 11:46 AM
The same person doesn't need to speak at every meeting. If he couldn't hold his thoughts for one meeting maybe he should run for council himself.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 1:42 PM
And you wouldn't have brought up Kirkwood if you weren't insinuating something. I'm not buying your line of BS on that one.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 1:44 PM
If there is a citizen in this town that feels the need to speak at every council meeting then he should run.
If the majority of the people feel he deserves the right to speak at every meeting then he or she will be elected.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 2:02 PM
Lemmie, What does Dred Scott decision have to do with you or Purcell grandstanding at Council meetings.
-- Posted by voyager on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 2:55 PM
Exactly what I was wondering, voyager, LOL.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 3:03 PM
You're really an off the wall sob.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Sat, Sep 4, 2010, at 4:43 PM
Clever retort without making sense of your Dred Scot comment.
Stick to merchandising and advertising where hypebole is the expected and norm. Seriously, you should try it. Now we just need to think up exactly the right name for your agency.
-- Posted by voyager on Sun, Sep 5, 2010, at 2:21 AM
I'm very aware of the Dred Scott decision and your comparisons are idiotic, as expected.
-- Posted by Red Devil on Mon, Sep 6, 2010, at 2:01 PM
Lemmie, forget it. Go into merchandising and advertising. In that you would be a natural. Politics for you is a dead loser.
-- Posted by voyager on Mon, Sep 6, 2010, at 3:00 PM
The meetings are posted online. Was not hard to find at all.
Hardly anyone ran for Mayor or council positions this last time around. So how can most of you complain?
-- Posted by insider63785 on Mon, Sep 6, 2010, at 10:09 PM
Wow, This whole thread has gone beyond my comprehension!
-- Posted by Old John on Tue, Sep 7, 2010, at 12:28 AM
What's the wholesale price of apples today, Lemmie?
-- Posted by voyager on Tue, Sep 7, 2010, at 8:04 AM
I think the people, men and women, should be allowed to appear nude at the meetings. It is, after all, a place to air our differences, is it not? I say we need to get things out in the open. How is the board supposed to stay abreast of the issues if those breasts cannot be bared?
Isn't that what the sunshine law is all about: letting some sunlight in to expose those the places where the Sun doesn't usually shine?
Let the people speak up freely and openly. Don't stifle one's expression. It should not be up to one person to set the agenda. They do not need to pre-screen the attendees. If someone speaks their mind openly, revealing the naked truth, let the board hear him out. If he's a lunatic, the board will clearly see he's nuts.
-- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Sep 7, 2010, at 12:30 PM
Menu
I posted this rather late as a comment to the original story and I know that article will be harder to find tomorrow.
We need to keep this story out there to hopefully organize opposition to the honorable mayor's act of censoring the electorate.
If my rant is unwarranted, feel free to let me have it. If you agree, lets do something about this.
Here was my original rant:
None of this has anything to do about the flow of the meeting or shortening the meetings. It's not about keeping an occasional Jay Purcell from rambling on. A strong mayor can cut off anyone after their 5 minutes or whatever time they agree upon.
It's all about the camera and no you don't shut the camera off anytime during the meeting.
The camera is there for citizens to view the proceedings and I thought to show the openness of city government.
Gerald Jones would have stayed on another 4 years had he thought of something like this.
He seemed to have this fear of cameras too.
Folks we need to organize opposition to this. The whole thing stinks. The whole meeting will be scripted from start to finish.
I know you have to have an agenda but you have to face the public. Hiding in closed quarters without a camera so they can chop the opposition off at the knees is a cowardly way to serve as an elected official..
If Kathy Swan or any other council member can't sit there 5-30 minutes and listen to anyone that wants to speak, then she or he needs to resign immediately.
I thought Rediger was a great choice as our next mayor. Even though I wasn't a strong supporter of Jay Knudtson, he faced the camera and took every question like a man.
Harry Rediger seems to be afraid of being put on the spot in front of a camera and CENSORSHIP is his answer?
If you can't stand the heat, turn off the camera?
Replies (35)