So, how did Director Atherton vote at the meeting on this issue
that he thinks is crucial?
ANSWER: He voted to ABSTAIN.
On a change in the bylaws, a fixed number of votes (27 of the 40 directors) is required to adopt the amendment. His vote to "abstain" is, consequently, procedurally effectively the same as voting "no." I would suggest that there is hypocrisy in his public complaint on this Board about a failure to pass an amendment when he effectively voted "no" when given the opportunity. (Naturally, he has his reasons for abstaining and I suspect that he will presently announce to all why he abstained.)
Me:
Ugh. Rather than endlessly debating Michael Atherton's abstention and/or whether he exhibited hypocrisy in his public statements, I'd rather hear about the arguments--pro and con--about trying to get more people engaged in PPERRIA, particularly students. I'm consistently discouraged by efforts to keep out potential participants rather than to include more participants.
Along those lines, having people included in committee meetings is one thing--giving them the ultimate right to vote on matters important to them is quite another. Groups that fear the 'takeover' of their governance by outsiders, to me, act more out of fear--infrequently legitimized-- than out of respect for the potentialities of democracy.
So, rather than delving into the minds and motivations of PPERIA personalities, what's the real fear with including U students? Is that a legitimate fear? What do the Second Ward candidates (and the sitting council member) think about this? What communication is even going on between PPERIA and U students?
Same goes for including business or nonprofit organization representatives, which are excluded by some groups. Sure, we have the Central takeover, but to me, the downfall there was no real plan AFTER the vote, rather than a democratic process that led to the takeover.
Gregory Luce
St. Paul
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