When Mr. Connolly last posted this idea of needing town meetings, I noted
that there already were a large number of opportunities for people to
interact with their elected officials.
For people who want to interact with their council members, typically
Council Members attend the neighborhood meetings organized by the formal
neighborhood organizations as well as a large number of other meetings in
the neighborhoods. It is also possible to phone their offices and talk to
them directly.
For people who want to interact with the Mayor, her schedule is public
information and you can interact with her at the community events that she
attends. In addition, she does have the "Mayor Night In" where anyone can
go talk to her.
It is silly to think that a Mayor could go to 13 neighborhood town meetings
every month. Assume we give the poor woman three nights a week off as she
has worked a ten hour day already and she does have two kids in grade
school. If she went to 13 neighborhood meetings, that would leave three to
five days a month for all the other events, organizations, meetings, etc
that the Mayor attends. That would not come near meeting the need for the
Mayor to be at other events and organizations.
It is also silly to think that most people are really hungering to spend an
evening month after month coming to a meeting just to talk to the Mayor.
Most people have real lives and this isn't their idea of fun, especially
meetings without topics or agenda. People have lives and spending them
pointlessly month after month at unorganized meetings simply wouldn't work.
And people don't boo and hiss at neighborhood meetings. That is simply
disrespectful.
Carol Becker
Longfellow
> Recently I suggested the idea that the Mayor meet
> every four weeks in each of the city's 13 wards with
> the individual CM in attendance.
>
> Most people spoke of individual CM's who met with
> neighborhood groups or state reps who met for
> breakfasts, lunches, etc.
>
> Only one person, Dean Lindberg, mentioned meeting with
> the Mayor and its efficacy. Dean Lindberg spoke of the
> Mayor's night in.
>
> Someone alluded to the Mayor's busy schedule. Hah!
>
> One person even went so far as to mock me with a
> primer on neighborhood organizations which meet
> regularly as town hall meetings. Why am I not
> surprised that someone who owes his neo-conservative
> life to his paid position in neighborhood
> organizations would take such a tone.
>
> Amid the whining and gnashing of teeth in this forum
> regarding the Mayor's distance and unresponsiveness,
> not to mention inaction on serious concerns to many of
> the city's citizens, I would have thought my
> suggestion might have been better recieved.
>
> No matter.
>
> To add further to my proposal, I envisioned meetings
> that were not scripted by the mayor or councilperson's
> office and that might take more people into the
> process.
>
> I even envisioned booing and hissing from the great
> unwashed masses when the mayor was asked big fat
> fastball down the center of the plate pitches
> (questions) by her obvious supporters and backup
> questions when the Mayor or councilpeople evaded
> questions or talked gibberish.
>
> As it is what we see are canned presentations, limited
> question and answer periods, and time monopolized by
> people with vested interests in seeing their points
> prevail.
>
> But then booing and hissing would be un-Minnesotan
> wouldn't it?
>
> Better to get screwed and whine all the way home like
> the little piggy?
>
> Tim Connolly
> Ward 7
>
>
>
>
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