Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Town Council review delayed

Coming at you...later
By Will Collette

Due to technical difficulties, we won't have an instant review of the Town Council meeting that was held tonight. The technical problems are that (a) Tom is out of town and (b) none of the other members of the Progressive Charlestown crew wanted to cover it.


With a largely procedural agenda, it just didn't seem worth going out in tonight's creepy weather. Some of the anticipated high points in the meeting...adoption of Town Council rules of procedure for their new term and whether they would keep or dump the rule against Council members making personal attacks during their remarks (a rule both Council President Tom Gentz and Councilor Lisa DiBello ignored.

Or the assignment of Council members to be "liaisons" to various town commissions and quasi-public groups. Most of the Council members in the last term took three or more. Council Lisa DiBello took one - the Cross Mills Library - and then pretty much never showed up.

Or the renewal of Dan Slattery's pet project - the semi-annual "Citizens' Forums" - where almost no one shows up. Except for CCA President Virginia Wooten, who comes out for these Forums religiously to make some of her rare public statements. Councilor Slattery loves these Forums so much that he wants to have them four times a year.

Anyway, you don't need a Progressive Charlestown on-the spot review on such matters. We'll get back to you after the Clerkbase video gets posted. Presuming it gets posted. Already, as in the case of the November 28 Planning Commission meeting, it looks like it's becoming more and more iffy whether there will Clerkbase coverage of town meetings.