Friday, February 12, 2010

To Err Is Human; To Blog...Divine!

To err is human; to blog...divine! Cathy at NH On-Line responds to my Good and Bad post.
Strike, we feel that Supervisor Tyksinski was as transparent as he needed to be given the circumstances; it really is a town board's prerogative to abolish the commission; input from the public is not required.
Of course this was prerogative and input from the public is not required. It's not required for a lot of things that the Town does. But just because it's not required does not mean that it is not expected. We were promised transparency. We expected transparency. We did not get transparency.
Supervisor Tyksinski could have discussed the topic during executive session and then merely come out of executive session to adopt the resolution after the public left . . .

Oh really? And under what provision of the Open Meetings Law would such a discussion in executive session have fallen?
[He] even gave people in attendance a chance to speak. Actually, since this was not a public hearing, he didn't really even need to acknowledge comments from the audience; but he did.

Wow! Perhaps we should be impressed with his magnanimity. But what good does it do for the public to have an opportunity to speak when it had almost no notice that this issue was even being considered?
No, Strike, the decision needed to be made last night so the town can move forward.
No decision "needed to be made last night." The Police Commission was created over 20 years ago for certain reasons. Obviously no one bothered revisit those reasons because there was no time to research them. Since the decision was made this week without knowing those facts, and without time to reflect upon them, the Town Board cannot have known if it is just trading a present problem for a past one. In trying to "move forward," the Town may have stepped back 20 years.
Obviously, for too many years, the fox have been guarding the hen house. That came to an end at last night's town board meeting. Now we will truly have transparency when it comes to the Police Department because the people in charge will have to answer to the people that pay the bills.
And on the above, Cathy and I can agree!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Due to the outrageous financial crisis New Hartford finds itself in today as a result of the former Supervisor's voodoo economics not to mention years of Chief Philo's empire building with blessings from the Police Commission I might add, the opportunity presented itself for a fresh start and the elected Board exercised its legal right to make it happen in full public view.

Contrary to your concern about not having a public hearing on the matter, the public did speak last November giving Tyksinski a green light to clean up the mess that raised our taxes 46%.

Anonymous said...

If there is any one thing that bothers me about the blogosphere, it is that opinions can be put out without basis.

You weren't even there; yet you have a problem with "transparency."

Not that I always agree with CCHOG, but at least they are there to witness what they write about.

4 out of 5 Police Commissioners were there (1 showed up late). They knew what was coming. They had every opportunity to speak - and some did.

Now the Town Board has to put up with those in the Police, Fire and Public Safety sector that are villifying them for making what can best be described as a business management decision.

You seem to be ok with the outcome, but you didn't like the process? Would you like some cheese with your "whine?"

Strikeslip said...

Anonymous -- The public spoke for transparency . . . not another supervisor who gives lip service to the deliberative process.

Anonymous said...

The key word is, deliberative. No town function should be changed without due deliberation in open forum.

Anonymous said...

nobody reveres a tyrant. Good luck in NH. One extreme to the other, but now with CC backing. oh boy we are in for a ride.