SF Simplified guide to local government
l3wis Megan has been busy compiling a guide to local government, and I have been impressed. But, with my passion for the 1st Amendment, I do have to correct some of her recommendations;
• Sign in before the meeting.
You only have to do this at the School Board meeting, (it is voluntary at the county commission, and not required at Carnegie.) They will also ask what topic you are going to talk about. I usually write, ‘General School Board Policy’. I don’t care to tell the school board what I am talking about in advance because they are famous for interrupting you and cutting you off during uncomfortable topics, they are 10X worse then Poops. While I have spoken at hundreds of public meetings, I am still intimidated at school board meetings, they don’t make it very welcoming to attend or speak.
• Have some talking points prepared. Your time is limited, so jot down your main thoughts and ideas before going up to speak.
YES! YES! YES! Come prepared, or at least prepared in your head. There is this frequent public commenter at ALL local government meetings I have coined as Mr. BobbleBlabber. He has no clue what he is talking about and is pulling directly from his ass. Don’t be that guy.
• State your name clearly before you start talking. If you forget, someone will remind you. You may also be asked to state your address or use it to sign in before the meeting.
You don’t have to give your address, or even what town you live in, heck, you don’t even have to give your name, but if you do, use your real one. Anonymous free speech is protected by the 1st Amendment, and unless you want to be on the permanent record, don’t give any more information about yourself then you have to. (they already are spying on us with the new water meters) #makeepsteinconspiracygoaway
• Know that you likely won’t get a response. Councilors, board members, commissioners, etc. can’t speak to items that aren’t listed on the publicly posted meeting agenda, and while they do hear you, they won’t react or respond while you’re talking to maintain professionalism and keep things on track. It’s weird and a little awkward, but it’s the way local government works.
NO it is NOT. This is a recent thingy with local government. When I first started attending council meetings during Munson’s 1st term, the council interacted with the public, quite often. Like when Beninga told me to wear his shoes, and I told him he chose to wear those shoes. Or when Darin Smith told me they were putting a ‘package of ideas’ together closing down the Loop and I told him, ‘This isn’t a McDonald’s Combo meal.’ Good times. Either way, it all got changed when that last clown ran the city, not the current clown. I have pressured council since to change it back, because I believe public input would be less volatile if there was interaction from the council.
In an earlier post Megan also mentions ‘Robert’s Rules’. These are ACTUAL procedural rules during a meeting, but they generally don’t apply to the public, only those on the dais (council, mayor, staff) in keeping order in the house. Being an un-elected member of the public voluntarily coming to the meeting doesn’t require you to follow Robert’s, but if you do become unruly, the council does have the right to shut you down.
Like I said, it is a great intro to local government and I encourage everyone to read it. I just wish I could take the quiz, but it is only for subscribers 🙁