[RP TownTalk] is anyone else concerned?

Mon May 16 13:43:25 UTC 2016

Bob -
Since you asked directly, yes, I am concerned...  Concerned about what is
happening with our town government.  (PLEASE NOTE: I am writing here only
in my role as a town resident, not in any way in my role as TownTalk List
Moderator).

I have thought since moving here 10 years ago, that we, for being such a
small town, are fortunate to have the dedicated, talented, and astute
people we do willing to spend their time and energy conducting the affairs
of town government, and, yes, representing all the residents of the town.
I continue to feel that way.  The matters that have been aired on this list
by the mayor and, mainly, one current and one now former council member are
distressing to me, especially since I not only know each of them and have
considered them friends but more importantly because I trusted them and
felt fortunate to have them as town officials.  I never expected to witness
the kind of conflict or hear the kind of accusations we are now hearing.
And so yes, that is a serious cause for concern.

For personal and professional reasons, I just haven't had much time to
devote to trying to fully understand the issues being discussed. And I have
not had or made for myself the time to engage with any of the officials in
an attempt to try to clarify any of the seemingly contradictory accounts
that have been posted here.  You have, Bob, and I commend you for that, and
for openly sharing your questions and your findings here. Thank you.

As I read your post (below), Bob, it seems your question is asking directly
about the Mayor's assertion that "We do not have a government run by an
email list".  I have to say that on this point I would wholeheartedly agree
with the Mayor.  Unfortunately, the participation on this list is not even
remotely distributed across the town's six wards.  Nor does it even
represent well the residents of Wards 1, 2 and 3, where most people posting
to the list (as far as I know - I don't actually have a list of
subscribers, and certainly don't have their addresses).

I'm a numbers guy, so I couldn't help myself. Looking at the posts to
TownTalk in the 15+ days of May so far, there are 97 posts. Of those 13 are
official announcements (town, county, AHTA), 25 are personal announcements
(business events, yard sales, lost/found dog, am I the only one whose FiOS
is down? etc), 3 are what I call 'rolodex' questions (need a good tree
trimmer), 21 are about town/community (but not government), mainly this
month the Ravenswood Rd/children's safety thread).  Finally there have been
35 posts about the town government affairs/issues. Those 35 posts have been
posted by 4 officials (Mayor, CM representing Wards 1, 2 and 3) and 9
residents.

This is a much livelier-than-usual period as far as TownTalk traffic goes.
But it can hardly substitute for an official meeting.  Too many voices are
not being heard here.

Dwight Holmes

On Mon, May 16, 2016 at 8:39 AM, bob smith <sfmc68 at verizon.net> wrote:

> Bottom Line Up Front: I thought the Mayor and council were the duly
> elected representatives of the constituency but I do not see the wording
> below reflective of this public service.
>
> I saw this message for the first time yesterday. I am pasting in the
> section of concern.
>
> I am concerned about the public's ability to comment on matters up for a
> council vote at the time of consideration for a council vote before the
> vote occurs.
>
> I am concerned by the Mayor's comments about the right of the people to
> petition their elected representatives. I am concerned about the Mayor's
> comment indicating that public comment via an email list is impacting
> the role of the elected government in their role of representation.
>
> This is excerpted from the message available at this link:
>
>  http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/2016-April/019603.html
>
> "[RP TownTalk] Town management, finances and legislation
> Vernon Archer varcher at gmail.com
> Thu Apr 28 09:49:30 UTC 2016
>
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>
> Friends and neighbors,
>
> I write to address the email Council Member Ebbeler sent recently under
> the title "Executive Order/Town's Financial Position."  I share the
> belief that the issues discussed are important, but the facts that I and
> the rest of the council know are very different.
>
> 1. Let me start by stating that we have a town government that functions
> as a deliberative body meeting at regular times in Town Hall. The
> meetings are open to the public and provide opportunities for people to
> comment and ask questions at every meeting.  We do not have a government
> run by an email list."
>
> Sincerely,
> Bob Smith
> 5001 Riverdale Road
> Ward 3
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