1/31/2010 10:16:00 PM Editorial: Make better use of 'call to public'
The Daily Courier
Americans are fortunate for countless reasons. We take for granted many of our entitlements, such as our rights to freedom of expression and to attend and take part in government meetings.
This interaction between citizens and public bodies is vital to maintaining community connectedness so that those who are elected to office can exchange dialogue with their constituents in an open environment.
The "call to the public" portion of a city council meeting allows people to come forward and air their views on issues that are important to them. It can be a valuable and enlightening opportunity for public officials to hear viewpoints of the people who elected them - a barometer of sorts on issues of the day.
But, this "call to the public" presents a double-edged sword because people may abuse this privilege by straying from the topic they had asked to speak about and talking way beyond what's reasonable. This not only drags the meeting out, but it also takes away time from others who want their turn.
The Prescott City Council plans to revisit city rules on the public comment period during meetings. Mayor Marlin Kuykendall promised during his campaign that he would do away with his predecessor's five-minute timer light for public speakers, giving more leeway to citizens for airing their concerns and opinions during council sessions.
This was a noble and welcoming promise and a show of respect for the public's right to discourse. However, that shouldn't give license to people who take advantage of this opportunity by getting off topic and, simply put, talking too much for too long.
City rules state that people can talk for five minutes if they have asked to be on the agenda, cannot speak on the same topic more frequently than once every six months and that the presiding officer has the right to reign in a speaker who steps beyond the boundaries.
It is incumbent upon the mayor to do this in a respectful manner when it is obvious that a speaker is breaking or bending the rules. At the same time, it's only fair to ask the public to stick to the rules.
Get your topic on the council's agenda. Come to the speaker's podium. State your case clearly within a reasonable time.
Posted: Monday, February 01, 2010
Article comment by:
Tom Steele
I thought the editorial might be of Prescott Valley's debate over a very large private prison. Mayor Skoog appealed that it was getting late then stated "Only one more comment; we have another meeting to go to" in the public comments on January 28th council meeting. It was about 8:30 PM. This was a whine from the mayor; boo-hoo. The people need to let the mayor and council know how they feel and he should let them. The people should not be restricted from addressing their grievances.
Posted: Monday, February 01, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
Yes, sometimes it's hard to figure out just what the speaker's topic is suppose to be. I suspect medication would help in some cases ... wonder where I could get some.
Posted: Monday, February 01, 2010
Article comment by:
John Sellers
For some reason, one of the many strange practices that the City of Prescott has insisted on in the "Public" sessions is that members of the public have to stand up and give their names and addresses. I’m not an attorney but I can read – and that unfortunately is not Arizona law. There is also nothing I know of in the law that requires any individual to seek permission to be on the agenda ahead of time for public comment. I think it would be really helpful in composing any new rules of conduct for public meetings if someone would read the Open Meetings Law – it is very readable in plain English. One thing I have learnt in the U.S. is that if you deny a citizen in this country their rights to “know what their government is up to” – you have made an “enemy of one” who you will meet many times over. And they will defeat you – as they should.
