Couple of things
- It's good to see some folks changing their mind on this, and I'm proud of both Kelly Girtz and George Maxwell. Giving the folks the freem to speak without prior registration is a good way to keep the dialogue going freely, though it has the potential to lead to longer meetings. I think Kathy Hoard has the most common-sense suggestion to limit the length of meetings by adjusting how some things are structured behind-the-rail, procedural-wise, rather than deter citizen input.
- I also don't agree with Doug Lowry's assessment on the former (From the ABH: 'The proper time for the public to state an opinion is well before the voting meeting to give commissioners time to think, follow up and verify information, Lowry said.'). The public has the right to state its opinion anytime it wants to do so. Elected officials work for the public, and if 17 folks want to chime in about something at the last minute, they should be afforded the opportunity to do so.
- Sweet. A story on Kyshona Armstrong. Scott told me an entertaining story where she said that she'll bring her guitar and if she needs to pick up some cash to pitch in for parking somewhere or grab a bite to eat, she'll play a few songs on the street corner rather than go to the ATM. She and Rachel Cole are pretty darn good, so go check them out at AthFest tomorrow and then at the ole musee on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
- Podcast anyone? It may not be The Cover Two, but the Athens-Clarke County is doing 'Trash Talk' to discuss the recycling program here in town.
- Today's editorial pages at the Athens Banner-Herald? Four letters on the Paris Hilton spoof video shot at the Oconee County Jail and two letters defending the 'FairTax' which are, ultimately, the exact same things its supporters have sent in over the past three years (i.e. folks hollering 'Read the book! Read the book!' ... dude, I have ... and I still feel it's a terrible idea).
- This is an interesting post at Peach Pundit, with a pretty good discussion to follow.
- I don't think Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis has any conflict-of-issue problems here. It would be one thing if Davis would benefit, but a guy he knows has the potential to benefit in a weird, roundabout way? Not so much.
- I also don't agree with Doug Lowry's assessment on the former (From the ABH: 'The proper time for the public to state an opinion is well before the voting meeting to give commissioners time to think, follow up and verify information, Lowry said.'). The public has the right to state its opinion anytime it wants to do so. Elected officials work for the public, and if 17 folks want to chime in about something at the last minute, they should be afforded the opportunity to do so.
- Sweet. A story on Kyshona Armstrong. Scott told me an entertaining story where she said that she'll bring her guitar and if she needs to pick up some cash to pitch in for parking somewhere or grab a bite to eat, she'll play a few songs on the street corner rather than go to the ATM. She and Rachel Cole are pretty darn good, so go check them out at AthFest tomorrow and then at the ole musee on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
- Podcast anyone? It may not be The Cover Two, but the Athens-Clarke County is doing 'Trash Talk' to discuss the recycling program here in town.
- Today's editorial pages at the Athens Banner-Herald? Four letters on the Paris Hilton spoof video shot at the Oconee County Jail and two letters defending the 'FairTax' which are, ultimately, the exact same things its supporters have sent in over the past three years (i.e. folks hollering 'Read the book! Read the book!' ... dude, I have ... and I still feel it's a terrible idea).
- This is an interesting post at Peach Pundit, with a pretty good discussion to follow.
- I don't think Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis has any conflict-of-issue problems here. It would be one thing if Davis would benefit, but a guy he knows has the potential to benefit in a weird, roundabout way? Not so much.
posted by Jmac at 7:09 AM
8 Comments:
When people who do business for a living--something none of our commissioners can relate to--and they talk about how hard it is to do business in Athens, this is, in part, what they're talking about.
Imagine you need a rezone for the store you want to open. You're item number 25 on a 26-item agenda. 50 people show up to speak on item 10. Carl Jordan holds forth on item 11 and whittles away another hour.
Suddenly, it's 2 o'clock in the morning, and you still haven't had a chance to kiss the Commission's ring in hopes of getting permission to put in your parking lot (God help you if you have to cut down a tree). Somewhere around 1:30, you're probably thinking about taking your business, and your jobs, and your taxes, to Oconee County.
OK, but let's be rational about this since I'm not saying that the commission meetings can definitely run long. However, it doesn't seem appropriate to me to limit discussion on a particular issue to only those who signed up in advance (because, again, you could possibly have 50 folks sign up in advance to speak on item 10).
There are other measures that can be taken to limit the length of the meetings, running from everything from commissioners being respectful of everyone's time to adjusting some procedural rules as needed.
And if you're thinking about taking your business to Oconee County because you have one late night, well then ...
Actually, by the time I run the A-CC gauntlet, it might well be my third or fourth late night.
All because Carl Jordan doesn't mind staying there all night.
Yeah Kyshona! I bought her CD at her show last Saturday night and have been listening to it non-stop all week.
Poseurs. I liked Kyshona waaaay before it was cool.
That's awesome. Totally going to hit them up to see if they want to be a GAPN affiliate.
Mrs. Hoard usually does have the best idea with respect to things. She and Deacon Sims are the only two members of the Commission that I have any respect for at all.
I agree that this nonsense about limiting citizen comments should not stand. I am proud of my large-district commissioner Kelly Girtz for changing his mind on this.
(i.e. folks hollering 'Read the book! Read the book!' ... dude, I have ... and I still feel it's a terrible idea).
ha ha ha ha ha
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