Executive Session Leaks
Executive Sessions of the City Council are provided for in the Charter. There are seven purposes for which the Council may exclude the public from its discussions. The subject matter is to remain confidential among the individuals that attended the closed meeting. Persons not on the Council may attend with its permission. Unfortunately there are always leaks and a considerable number if the subject is sensitive. I fully support closing those leaks.
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Mayor Novak is currently on a rampage because I, among others, learned about some of the items they have discussed in past sessions. She is particularly irritated with me because I shared the information with you through a letter to the Sentinel, discussions with other reporters and by postings on this site. She should also direct her anger to some friends and members of the staff who also obtained the information I shared with you. Just because I made it known to the public is no reason for her to funnel her anger in my direction. A leak is a leak.
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I am in turn very upset with her and her dear friends for breaking State law by conducting meetings without the required 24 hour prior notice. Check the City web site. Under public documents you will be able to check the notices and agendas for February 16th. You will not find the required notice of an executive session that they held on that date. You will only find a Special Meeting and a Study Session; no Executive session.
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Hum, I wonder if that illegal executive session has the protection or requirement of confidentially. Some of the information I obtained came from the “unmeeting”. I shared it with you because I did not know that it came from behind closed doors; and you didn't even know about the meeting period. There are laws prohibiting the conducting of a meeting without public notice.
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While I am on the subject, I would like to close by suggesting that the Mayor and Council narrow the subjects covered in their executive sessions. When they cover a rambling number of subjects it is no wonder that attendees might have a problem remembering what part of a discussion occurred in executive as opposed to an open meeting a day, month or year later. For example, a real estate discussion might have a confidential segment that results in a public meeting following the executive session. “Now just what was said where and when” is a question Council members have to remember if the private discussion rambled.
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Mayor Novak is currently on a rampage because I, among others, learned about some of the items they have discussed in past sessions. She is particularly irritated with me because I shared the information with you through a letter to the Sentinel, discussions with other reporters and by postings on this site. She should also direct her anger to some friends and members of the staff who also obtained the information I shared with you. Just because I made it known to the public is no reason for her to funnel her anger in my direction. A leak is a leak.
-
I am in turn very upset with her and her dear friends for breaking State law by conducting meetings without the required 24 hour prior notice. Check the City web site. Under public documents you will be able to check the notices and agendas for February 16th. You will not find the required notice of an executive session that they held on that date. You will only find a Special Meeting and a Study Session; no Executive session.
-
Hum, I wonder if that illegal executive session has the protection or requirement of confidentially. Some of the information I obtained came from the “unmeeting”. I shared it with you because I did not know that it came from behind closed doors; and you didn't even know about the meeting period. There are laws prohibiting the conducting of a meeting without public notice.
-
While I am on the subject, I would like to close by suggesting that the Mayor and Council narrow the subjects covered in their executive sessions. When they cover a rambling number of subjects it is no wonder that attendees might have a problem remembering what part of a discussion occurred in executive as opposed to an open meeting a day, month or year later. For example, a real estate discussion might have a confidential segment that results in a public meeting following the executive session. “Now just what was said where and when” is a question Council members have to remember if the private discussion rambled.
posted by Gene Wieneke at
12:45 PM
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