City Council meeting a fiasco
Stephanie Phillips
Issue date: 1/20/10 Section: Opinion
But still, these former city employees should not come to a City Council meeting to perform a side-show. Kalb and what seemed like the Jane Murray Hater Club sat in the front row acting similar to school-age children, grabbling and rabbling to everything Murray said. It was distracting and distasteful to community members that truly care about the rebuilding of the city.
The City Council session reminded me more of a circus than a government meeting. From the point of view of an outsider looking in, the City Council, including Mayor Murray, lack organizational and communication skills. Every person seemed to have their own agenda as opposed to working together to plan an effective solution to rebuild our dilapidated city.
The Councilmen and disgruntled ex-employees were fighting back too much to let the new mayor do her job. She barely had time to explain herself and has been constantly attacked since day one. It was very evident that select councilmen held no regard to anything that Murray proposed. City Council Vice-President Haas even rolled his eyes and crossed his arms to show his distaste for the new Mayor's comments.
Mayor Murray needs to be given a chance to provide the council and community with detailed plans of her vision of the big picture. The good ole boy network has had their chance in office and dug our community into deeper debt.
Murray is expected by the people not to continue with this path but provide an outline of her goals of progress for the community. City councilmen are expected to be the voice of the people (not the good ole boy network), and hear her out.
She didn't win the election to provide us with the same old song and dance. She won because the people want change.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 10
Concerned student
posted 1/20/10 @ 11:24 AM EST
While your observations of childish behavior inthe part of the gallery may be correct, they most certainly acted like children. The fact remains that the council did not need to consider Mrs. (Continued…)
Heather Dumas
posted 1/20/10 @ 12:16 PM EST
Editor's note: I'm saying this now before this gets out of hand or progresses to personal attacks, as it has the potential to. It is not the duty of our reporters to defend the political decisions of any official. (Continued…)
dogface
posted 1/20/10 @ 4:54 PM EST
City council meetings have in the past occasionally been circus acts, especially when certain community members repeatedly cry about their personal agenda no matter who is in office. (Continued…)
June Trea
posted 1/20/10 @ 7:40 PM EST
Concerned Student is right...although I read this opinion piece
with an open mind, by the end, I feel I'm reading an article about the
Mayor against the good ole boys. (Continued…)
Heather Dumas
posted 1/20/10 @ 8:16 PM EST
Perhaps I was unclear the first time. I find it inappropriate to stand idly by while allowing a personal attack on my reporter(s). My earlier post said "before" it becomes a problem. (Continued…)
Boris
posted 1/20/10 @ 11:50 PM EST
Kalb and his group have made it their vendetta to do everything they can to see that the new mayor fails.
Kalb was noted as saying he is now retired and will spend all his time battling with the new mayor, this sounds like a guy that is afraid that the new mayor might find out something he doesn't want out in the public. (Continued…)
Natasha
posted 1/22/10 @ 10:33 PM EST
This reporter has not attended enough council meetings to make the judgments she made. She also does not know the language in the City Charter. It's good that you are attending the meetings and I hope you keep coming to see what is actually going on. (Continued…)
Jim Kalb
posted 1/23/10 @ 6:07 AM EST
I have read this article by Stephanie Phillips a few times now and I can no longer refrain from posting my "opinion" about it. From her writing it appears that Ms. (Continued…)
Heather Dumas
posted 1/23/10 @ 7:54 AM EST
NO MORE COMMENTS to this opinion column will be allowed to post on this website. This is the equivalent of the editor/moderator locking the thread! (This is a general notice to all readers, not directed at any one person. (Continued…)
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