[Winona Online Democracy] (My apologies if this is a duplicate posting. I tried sending it twice previously and I don't think it went, so I'm taking another crack at it.)
Kathy Seifert asked if I had any specific suggestions about how to limit the length of discussion at school-board meetings without locking the public out of the discussion. My suggestion is simple: At the point when no new information is being offered and people are repeating what's already been said, then a member of the board, whether the chair or someone else, should say, "Let's move on," or "Call the question." If new information is still being offered, then everyone involved--elected officials and citizens alike--should be prepared to let the meeting go on. Is it easy to know when the new information has ended and the repetition has begun? Not always, no. But there's nothing new about that. Concerning Mr. Kranz's statement about "the value of promoting constructive dialogue" on the school board and other elected bodies, my main point is this: It hasn't been explained to my satisfaction how the new format would indeed improve the quality of dialogue among board members. It seems that the main thing the new format would do is make it more difficult for the public to know what its elected representatives are doing. How, specifically, would the new format improve the quality of dialogue? How is it inherently better than the previous format for producing higher-quality dialogue? Regarding Mr. Kranz's question as to whether televising meetings is "the only form of accountability and accessibility," the answer is no--but it's certainly a big one. What other forum literally lets the public see the workings of a public body the way that live television does? Televising all the meetings, I believe, is one of the best, if not the best, uses a community can make of public-access television. One more point: It strikes me that the committee structure that would have the bulk of discussion on an issue take place outside the regular meetings would merely add another layer that would make it harder for the public to see and know what went into discussion and decisions about certain questions. Steve Schild Printer friendly view ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Office-Logic InterChange -- � Copyright 2003 by LAN-ACES Inc. _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
