It didn't take long for new Auburn City Manager Mark Palesh to figure out that the way that the city council conducts business on Thursday nights is not in the most efficient manner.
He is suggesting the council now meet to conduct votes every other week and use the intervening meetings for work sessions. This is an excellent idea that others have tried, but without success, for differing reasons. But it is again worth trying.
Palesh is also recommending that these work sessions be moved out of City Council Chambers and that they not be televised. These are recommendations the council should reject.
The idea of moving sessions to city hall's third floor conference room has been tried before (by former City Manager John Salomone) and was a dismal failure. The room, with the normal contingent of councilors and officials is crowded at best. The small size has a deterrent effect to public observance and overrides any benefits of creating a level playing field (the city clerk, city manager and mayor, unlike in council chambers, would be on level with others in the room instead of a raised platform) and goal of improving small group dynamics.
Unless Palesh has a method to come up with a better way to deal with such items as comfortable access, and more importantly, an almost nonexistent sound system, it might be better to rearrange the furniture in chambers than to move the meetings out of the location where they have been held weekly for more than 75 years.
The idea of turning the television cameras off at these sessions (which becomes easier if the sessions are moved upstairs) should also be scrapped. Whether city hall wants to admit it or not, these televised sessions are widely watched and the many taxpayers get their information unedited. They have also changed the way city hall is covered. The press, which used to list individual votes and the comments of councilors on issues of special import each week, has changed its coverage since the introduction of video.
As so often has been the case with city hall, the public also may only find out about the impact of budgets and changes in policy by watching these televised sessions. The real reason for cutting television out seems to be the incessant pandering that occurs.
There is no question that anytime the camera is on, meeting dynamics change. Yet, for better or worse, these are conduits to keep the public informed, separate from the spin of office holders and the limited space that newspapers can often give to stories.
While Palesh can propose these items, it is up to all five members of the council to decide if they want to change these long-standing traditions. The work session format should be implemented - moving the sessions and capping the TV lens should not.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com
Palesh is also recommending that these work sessions be moved out of City Council Chambers and that they not be televised. These are recommendations the council should reject.
The idea of moving sessions to city hall's third floor conference room has been tried before (by former City Manager John Salomone) and was a dismal failure. The room, with the normal contingent of councilors and officials is crowded at best. The small size has a deterrent effect to public observance and overrides any benefits of creating a level playing field (the city clerk, city manager and mayor, unlike in council chambers, would be on level with others in the room instead of a raised platform) and goal of improving small group dynamics.
Unless Palesh has a method to come up with a better way to deal with such items as comfortable access, and more importantly, an almost nonexistent sound system, it might be better to rearrange the furniture in chambers than to move the meetings out of the location where they have been held weekly for more than 75 years.
The idea of turning the television cameras off at these sessions (which becomes easier if the sessions are moved upstairs) should also be scrapped. Whether city hall wants to admit it or not, these televised sessions are widely watched and the many taxpayers get their information unedited. They have also changed the way city hall is covered. The press, which used to list individual votes and the comments of councilors on issues of special import each week, has changed its coverage since the introduction of video.
As so often has been the case with city hall, the public also may only find out about the impact of budgets and changes in policy by watching these televised sessions. The real reason for cutting television out seems to be the incessant pandering that occurs.
There is no question that anytime the camera is on, meeting dynamics change. Yet, for better or worse, these are conduits to keep the public informed, separate from the spin of office holders and the limited space that newspapers can often give to stories.
While Palesh can propose these items, it is up to all five members of the council to decide if they want to change these long-standing traditions. The work session format should be implemented - moving the sessions and capping the TV lens should not.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com