Rex Rolfing

Pulling items from the SF City Council Consent Agenda

l3wis December 4, 2013 5Comments

Councilor Staggers has recently been pulling items from the consent agenda. During yesterday’s informational, he asked to pull the minutes from the last meeting (for a correction) and the Phillips Avenue Holiday Lights expenditure. Well that did not sit well with councilor Rolfing. He went into a tirade about inconveniencing city employees who might have to come to a council meeting and answer a question.

WHAT?!

First off, the consent agenda is at the beginning of the meeting, if a department head had to come to a meeting to answer a question, they would be there 20 minutes tops. Secondly, most department heads are at the meeting anyway for other agenda items, and lastly, THEY ARE GETTING PAID like the councilors to do the public’s work, which may include attending the council meeting. If there are certain department heads and city employees that feel like they are being inconvenienced, I haven’t heard that. In fact for the over ten years I have watched the city council meetings I have only seen one person complain about how long the meetings are, a councilor, De Knudson. Rolfing seems to be crying wolf about a problem that does not exist.

Fortunately, councilors Karsky, Anderson and even Erpenbach defended the practice of pulling items from the consent agenda and the city attorney agreed to help with a better process.

Personally, I have not been a fan of the consent agenda, I think every item should be pulled and voted on separately, but since that is not the case, as Karsky pointed out, it is well within the power of the council to pull items from the consent agenda.

Councilor Tex Golfing’s attendance record by the numbers

l3wis October 20, 2011 6Comments

“Showing up to meetings is all about decorum.”

I will have to give a Hat Tip to Ellis for doing the research on this (since I am too lazy);

City Councilor Rex Rolfing was on hand for Monday’s 7 p.m. council meeting for the first time since Sept. 12. Rolfing missed three of the 7 p.m. meetings. Those are the meetings where the council votes and takes official action. Typically there are three of them a month.

Rolfing missed three in a row – including one in which the council approved next year’s budget. That third absence led to a little legal research here, at City Hall, and elsewhere. The city’s charter lays out several reasons for how councilors can forfeit their offices. One states that a councilor forfeits office for missing three consecutive “regular meetings,” unless excused by the council. The council as a body had not excused Rolfing.

It appeared, on first reading, that Rolfing had missed three regular meetings. And if that were true, then he was off the council.

But upon further research, the council has an ordinance that defines a “regular meeting.” For the record, the council has one “regular meeting” a month — the first Monday. So Rolfing was in the clear.

Council Chairwoman Sue Aguilar said Rolfing informed her he would be gone. His absences were business related.

Rolfing has missed six 7 p.m. meetings so far this year. That’s the most of the eight councilors and one mayor. Jim Entenman is in second with four.

Ellis forgot to mention that Tex also showed up to the 7:30 meeting Tuesday night at the Caille Branch library that councilor Jamison was hosting.

The Absence of SF City Councilor Rex Rolfing

l3wis October 4, 2011 10Comments

Now you see me. Now you don’t.

I’m not the only one who has noticed that Mr. Rolfing has been absent from the past two city council meetings, and has seemed to miss quite a few meetings since he has become a councilor. I understand that the city councilors serve as part-time public servants and that Rolfing has to make a living and has other business to attend to privately. But one is starting to wonder if he is really into this job or not, missing some very important votes recently. I have always been under the impression that people serve as public servants because they want to SERVE the public. If Mr. Rolfing’s personal life is too hectic to serve on the council properly, maybe he should resign and have someone take his seat who wants to do the job.