Getting necessary technical assistance

It now looks as if the decision whether to televise all of the Auburn City Council's sessions comes down to one vote. With councilors David Dempsey and Matthew Smith saying they want to keep all sessions, including biweekly work sessions, televised, it is now up to any of the three members of the council (including Mayor Timothy C. Lattimore and councilor Thomas McNabb, who are both up for re-election) to make sure they all air.

City hall is one-for-three in broadcasts over the last three weeks. The meeting of March 8 was broadcast twice and Time Warner broadcast a blank blue screen on Channel 12 both on Friday and Monday nights of last week's meeting. The issue is not just television; it is about having easy access to city hall. It means being able to read meeting minutes (adopted or unofficial within a couple of days) and more importantly providing the details of what is being discussed or voted on in advance.

Oddly enough, after a column last week mentioned the lack of resources online for the public to find out what is or has gone on at city hall, three sets of minutes for city council meetings in March were updated online that day. Maybe it was just a coincidence. But popping up minutes in reaction misses a deeper, underlying issue about access on several levels.