Chatlist post for Rita Spina

Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2011 23:38:58 -0400
From: Caroline Siverson
Subject: Chatlist post for Rita Spina

There is no question that for the BOCK-BOC there is no desire or appreciation of any public comments from Chatham’s citizens, whether they are from  those who voted for the three new members or not.  On 
Monday, May 30th, there was a scheulded session on the Budget at CCCC after the first meeting on the School Budget.  The 3 scheduled meetings that had been announced to deal with the Budget and to which 
about 20 + citizens attended Wednesday morning at CCCC, ended as the elected officials later walked out of their announced meeting and its specific agenda for the day. At the same time the listed times for 
further meetings on the Budget were cancelled as well. Those who arrived after the school budget passed, found no one present at all…not even a note that the meeting had been cancelled.

This is just another item to date, that says citizen input has little to no value  to their thinking…the BOC just has to “tell them” and “we don’t really want to have any give and take as to whether this is good or not for them”.

Most of us here in the boondocks would like to have more than the golden words, “We want citizen input” and then not hear the BOC even enter into discourse in an open meeting.  It is a travesty…and not being present is another statement of, “We have our own agenda, we don’t want to engage in what you may need, have worked for, are looking for and we certainly don’t intend to do anything but what we want to do. And we won’t even be open for discourse with you.”

Where is “open government” and what does “transparency” mean? You keep throwing these words out. They have zero meaning to date.

Rita K. Spina for CCEC