Citizen Comments Rules
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=536
Printed Date: May 18 2024 at 12:47am
Topic: Citizen Comments Rules
Posted By: VietVet
Subject: Citizen Comments Rules
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 6:52am
| Read the latest from City Council on the rules. Got a problem with one of them. The questioning and debate with council will not be allowed. WHAT??? Isn't this the ideal time to bring up a topic for council to discuss and answer for the citizen who is asking the question. They have the legal people there if it involves legality issues. They have the City Manager present if it is in the realm of her expertise and all 7 are there collectively, to form an opinion and answer any questions. Otherwise, the citizen must contact each one individually for their opinion on the question asked. What better time than when they are all gathered to ask a question and receive a consensus? Otherwise, this just becomes a "going through the motions session" and we all know that council has a history of sitting behind that desk while you speak with that disinterested look on their faces.They just don't want to get involved with the people do they?Of course, debate and questions puts them on the spot in front of the cameras and makes them feel "uncomfortable" before the people. Wouldn't want them to think and reason as they arrive at a consensus on an answer, would we? No dynamic leadership in this town. |
Replies:
Posted By: .308
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 8:56am
If that's the case they picked the wrong job or we elected the wrong council
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VietVet wrote:Posted By: Tazman
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 9:26am
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no--that's not the purpose of citizen's comments. Everyone knows the purpose of citizen's comments is to rant, rave and make the people of Middletown look like the idiots they seem to be and confirm to everyone outside of Middletown just that.
If you want to have a dialog with a city council member doing it in citizen's comment is not the place to do it. Here we go again.....let the showboating, over stating grandstanding begin! |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 10:23am
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Actually the ranting,raving,idiocy, showboating and grandstanding originated WITH Council bickering among themselves publicly. Their petty squabbles and personal conflicts set our city backwards for a good five years. Failure to control themselves and weak/unwilling mayors have plagued these sessions.
After the citizens endured months/years of public tantrums, the public assumed similar conduct to be acceptable public behavior, and such was tolerated by our mayors. Abuse of time limits, topics etc. is mainly a Council responsibilty, though the citizens must do better this time.
Let's don't scapegoat the public for poor past behavior of our mayors and Council.
This is the citizens' only venue for questions and comments.
Such dialogue SHOULD be made possible, followed with attention and welcomed.
Let Mr.Murphy go NOW.
He serves no real purpose as a 30-day lame duck, other than to collect salary/bennies.
Seems he has been working for this Cincy outfit all along, globetrotting supposedly at their expense, however on our time. Probably need to examine the city's relationship with this organization also, and keep Mr.Murphy totally out of the mix with municipal dealings.
jmo
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 10:29am
| Tazman- I see no harm in standing before council and asking, point blank, without grandstanding, questions concerning the funding and the gameplan on fixing our streets. I see no harm in asking them, since I've seen no action from them, questions on how they plan to create job development in this town. I see no harm in asking them about how they plan to attack the overabundance of housing in this area. And I certainly believe that it should be done one on one/face to face with the understanding that they will provide a response at that time from each member. The days of "we'll get back with you on that" are wearing mighty thin to some of us. They need to accomodate the citizens that they are suppose to serve. As it is now, they are dictating how it will be. They are suppose to be understanding and execute the way the people want their town.I want my questions answered. I don't give a damn about the grandstanding nor the people who do it. |
Posted By: arwendt
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 10:41am
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"Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization. Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation." - Eugene Victor Debs
To not allow some form of open public dialogue with council would be a mistake in my opinion.
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Posted By: Middletown News
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 10:43am
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I can hardly wait.
It's like sound off, only in person. ------------- Please like our http://www.facebook.com/middletownusa" rel="nofollow - Middletown USA Facebook Page |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Sep 02 2008 at 1:55pm
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Folks I think it is more of the Council not wanting the "gotcha factor" when it comes to questions. Many questions asked by citizens on the spur of the moment can not be answered fully or only get partial token answers.
I agree it is sometimes hard to get answers from council unless you hit them in Public, it is unfortunate that the Middletown Journal does not do an adequate job when it comes to city matters and its newspaper.
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Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 03 2008 at 7:27am
| Journal article -Sept 3-Marconi says that "a person may get mad at what a council person may say and come running down to city hall to complain". Schiavone says that "you need to be careful of what you say". Armbruster says that having the comments at the end of the meeting is taking away from family time.( He would have said something about his parks too if there would have been time allowed) Anita Scott-Jones says that she's always been a proponent of citizen's comments and that she didn't need Marconi speaking for her (with all due respect, of course). Reading this article was like reading a script from a soap opera. Each person said their lines- each person had their own agenda- and none of the conversation connected, had any substance to it, or was relevant to substantive topics about running this city. His mayorship, Lawrence Mulligan. Jr. (don't forget-The Third), Ford(will she ever contribute anything?) or Tax Master Becker apparently had nothing to offer as they were not mentioned in the article. This group of council members reminds me of the beginning phase of the old "You Tube"- Laura Williams, Bob Wells era of dysfunctional/carnival atmosphere type talk. This group apparently can't seem to form a consensus in public about a simple topic such as citizens comments. No wonder they can't tackle and solve more complex problems like fixing/funding the streets or getting decent jobs in here. The circus continues and is in town twice a month. Stay tuned. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Sep 03 2008 at 9:20am
| They may as well take the meeting back upstairs. Most citizens have to work and can't be at City Hall by 5:30. The 5:30 start time is to early and just another roadblock to citizens input. |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Sep 03 2008 at 9:27am
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I think Citizens comments will take off soon. People have to gather their courage before they put their foot in their mouth. Give it a few months. Citizens will have their say. ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |