ABSTRACT: The Public Hearing section of the City Council Meeting of May 6, 2008 is reproduced. COMMENTS are made with regard to citizens’ requests for placing items on City Council agendas and the lack of responsiveness of the City Council.
City of Carmel-by-the-Sea
City Council
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
VIII. Public Hearings
If you challenge the nature of the proposed action in Court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing.
A. None
COMMENTS:
• At City Council meetings in April 2008, several Carmelites, including Linda Anderson, Carolyn Hardy, Monte Miller and former mayor Jean Grace, urged the City Council to place items on an upcoming City Council agenda; namely, Considerations of the Carmel, Monterey and Pacific Grove Fire Departments Consolidation, the Forest Theatre Design Plan and Municipal Election change from April to June to coincide with primary elections. Needless to say, on the City Council agenda for May 6, 2008, there are no public hearings at all.
• Not only do City Council Members fail to respond to questions and requests made at City Council meetings, but they fail to be responsive to their constituents by placing requested items on City Council agendas.
2 comments:
Under California law a body like the City Council cannot address items not on the agenda at a meeting. As many people have said over the last eight years, however, the City Council and the Mayor in particular could and should be courteous enough to thank people for their comments and let them feel that their remarks or requests for future agendizing will be considered. Any council member could be that polite but none are. It seems as if the only such recognition goes to people , who are supporters or friends of the Mayor. Some people think that such unusual politness is reserved for people speaking at the Mayor's prompting.
In actuality, the only items that get on the agenda are those the Mayor wants to see there. Even some city council members can't get any items on the agenda so how can the members of city commissions, boards, committees or private citizens expect to be heard?
If you crossreference this to the Grand Jury report, then you will find the city lied about having procedures in place to solicit agenda items from the public. The city still does not have procedures. More importantly, Sue does not care what the public wants to air for discussion. Sue knows what is best for us, didn't you know? Sue and her vice mayor are not responsive to their constituents and why should they be if Carmelites keep reelecing her and voting for her chosen ones.
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