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Thursday, September 21, 2023

Cusick: NorCo Council Already Has Public Comment Policy

Yesterday, I told that Northampton County Council member Lori Vargo Heffner decided she wanted to discuss the public's right to participate in Council meetings. Her decision to do so came on the heels of a recent meeting in which there was nearly three hours of public comment concerning a doctor accused of misdiagnosing child abuse as well as arguments supporting and opposing changes to the county's responsible contractor ordinance. I told you this foolhardy decision creates the impression in the minds of the public that she has no interest in hearing what they have to say. I added that the county already has an unwritten policy under which individual members of the public may address Council for up to five minutes. While it might be a good idea to codify that policy, it was stupid to do so two weeks after listening to unhappy parents open up about their ordeals after being accused of child abuse. It turns out that I was both right and wrong. 

Let me tell you first where I was right It turns out that it actually was the lengthy public comments two weeks ago that led Heffner to wonder if there was some way they could get around the unwashed masses. She admitted this herself in her opening comments. 

"Every time I write an agenda for two months worth of business, it seems to have a question about my timing and my intent. So let me just get that out of the way. There has been a lot of conversation about Council, how it conducts business, do we have rules of order, did we adopt anything or not ... Given that last month's meeting was very long due to public comment, I had questions about whether there was any flexibility, if there were any rules about that, and did we want to take a look at that as well as other matters that I've heard Council address at times about how we conduct our meetings."

Now let me tell you where I was wrong. I told you that Northampton County Council's five-minute rule on public comment was an unwritten policy. But guess what? According to Council member John Cusick, he voted on a public comment policy back in 2006, and that codified the five-minute rule. It allows the public to comment on matters they deem important. Unfortunately, I am unable to locate the document myself,  He forwarded copies to other Council members. "Do we want to change it? I don't know, I don't think so."

Other Council members were wary of any change that would limit public comment. 
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9 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 12:36 AM

    You are really wrong. The public comment is in the hands of the president of council where it belongs. There is no "five minute" rule written down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 5:45 AM

    Make them sit there for hours. Last time I checked, there were no vacancies on council and no shortage of candidates. If they don't like the job they ran for and get paid for, they should politely resign and STFU. Let them sit for hours. Maybe it will discourage the low quality of individual we are currently saddled with. Remember Lamont cashing his checks and rarely showing up to work? Our council is a lineup of ethically challenged retards. We can do better by discouraging this ilk. Stay all effing night and do your jobs you shiftless bastards.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 6:37 AM

    Your kidding, Lori doesn’t know that they have a policy, has she learned nothing In 6 years 2 as president? Talk about a slow learner.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 7:10 AM

    Bernie, You don’t understand Lori. Her ambitions are large. She’s wormed her way onto the CCRAP board. She’s an officer in the Galactic Democratic Women’s Group. She’s got plan man. She’s hypnotizing everyone on her way to being huge.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bernie O'HareSeptember 21, 2023 at 8:10 AM

    "You are really wrong. The public comment is in the hands of the president of council where it belongs. "

    It was quoted by Cusick last night.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bernie O'HareSeptember 21, 2023 at 8:27 AM

    "Your kidding, Lori doesn’t know that they have a polic"

    In fairness, I did not know either. But I'll agree that before setting this as an agenda item, she should have researched the matter. Moreover, I am extremely disappointed that she actually was motivated to do this after listening to the public for three hours on an extremely sensitive subject. She said she was looking for "flexibility," i.e. she wants to be able to shut people down.

    I get it. I hate listening to people at length, repeating themselves. But I am not a public servant. She is. That's her job. If she does not understand that, she does not belong in office.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 12:36 PM

    That's her job. If she does not understand that, she does not belong in office.

    Could not have said that better, but I hear she has Big Plans in 2 years

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 1:31 PM

    Walk a mile in her shoes. I've been on the other side of the table. Residents can and will hammer away at the same point over and over. Sometimes the points are valid and other times folks miss the point on a complex emotional issue. I've seen meetings gummed up by concerted efforts of special interest groups abusing public comment period to hijack the meeting. It's a fine line and don't kick council too hard if you've never sat on their side of the table.
    The sunshine act does allow agencies to set time limits on public comment. Officials are encouraged to answer questions but are not required to do so. Some of the worst meetings are when it devolves into an inquisition.
    A strong chair is necessary to maintain order and keep the meeting productive. Strong chairs are rare birds these days.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2023 at 5:47 PM

    Despite Cusick being a mancrush of yours, there is no written "five-minute" policy.

    ReplyDelete

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