PATTERN: Mayor McCloud Places CONTROVERSIAL Items On CONSENT CALENDARS

DEFINITION OF CONSENT CALENDAR: Those City Council agenda items which are noncontroversial and minor in nature, such as the ratification of minutes from a previous meeting, the ratification of bills paid for a preceding month, etc. These items are voted on by the City Council as a group without debate in one roll call.
Important Consideration: Only if a City Council Member or a member of the public pulls an item from the Consent Calendar will a public hearing be held on that item, usually at the end of the City Council meeting.

QUESTION: What do the following three Resolutions regarding the 2005 Grand Jury Report on Open Government, a gift of $40,000 from the Friends of the Carmel Fire House, Inc. and the Agreement with Aurum Consulting Engineers Monterey Bay, Inc. for Electrical and Lighting Design of the Ocean Avenue Median Renovation Project have in common?

Regular Meeting
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
4:30 p.m., Open Session

VII. Consent Calendar

C. Review and approve the response to the 2005 Grand Jury Report and direct staff to submit the response no later than April 3, 2006.


Regular Meeting
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
4:30 p.m., Open Session

VII. Consent Calendar

G. Consideration of a Resolution accepting a gift of $40,000 from the Friends of the Carmel Fire House, Inc. for the Carmel Fire Station.


Special Meeting
Thursday, June 22, 2006
4:30 pm

IV. Consent Calendar

A. Consideration of a Resolution entering into a professional services Agreement with Aurum Consulting Engineers Monterey Bay, Inc. for Electrical and Lighting Design of the Ocean Avenue Median Renovation Project.


ANSWER: Carmel-by-the-Sea Mayor Sue McCloud placed all of these Resolutions on City Council Regular or Special Meeting agendas as Consent Calendar items, not as Public Hearing items; her purpose was to discourage and minimize the possibility of public input on these items.

COMMENTS: Only a mayor with total disregard for the public and utter contempt for the processes and procedures of open government would employ such a stunt. Only Carmel-by-the-Sea Mayor Sue McCloud!