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Open Comment Period Before PC and BOS meetings
Open Comment Period Before PC and BOS meetings
Bill Hocker | Oct 2, 2014 on: Open Comments
I just had a look at the video of the Sept 23rd BOS meeting. During the open comment period at the beginning of each meeting for the last couple of months Geoff Ellsworth gets up to promote our preservationist cause. He is being joined by others. Norn Manzer, the first speaker, was quite effective and should be seen. He has also written a letter-to-the-editor about the "Carmel-ization" of St. Helena that is quite good. And now the people of Circle Oaks and other opponents of the Walt Ranch project on Atlas Peak have become regulars, prompting a Walt Ranch representative to also make comments. To our great benefit the Walt Ranch opponents are an extremely articulate and organized group.
The Supervisors have become concerned about this unscripted exercise of community activism and considered briefly how the process might be altered - perhaps by moving it to the end of the meeting or by discouraging presentation of material that may be covered in a regular public hearing in the future.
The open comments section of meetings is, of course, the purest example of our right to exercise free speech and to petition our government concerning our grievances. You are encouraged to let your grievances be known.
The open comments for this meeting begin at the 25:00 minute mark and are all well worth watching.
I just had a look at the video of the Sept 23rd BOS meeting. During the open comment period at the beginning of each meeting for the last couple of months Geoff Ellsworth gets up to promote our preservationist cause. He is being joined by others. Norn Manzer, the first speaker, was quite effective and should be seen. He has also written a letter-to-the-editor about the "Carmel-ization" of St. Helena that is quite good. And now the people of Circle Oaks and other opponents of the Walt Ranch project on Atlas Peak have become regulars, prompting a Walt Ranch representative to also make comments. To our great benefit the Walt Ranch opponents are an extremely articulate and organized group.
The Supervisors have become concerned about this unscripted exercise of community activism and considered briefly how the process might be altered - perhaps by moving it to the end of the meeting or by discouraging presentation of material that may be covered in a regular public hearing in the future.
The open comments section of meetings is, of course, the purest example of our right to exercise free speech and to petition our government concerning our grievances. You are encouraged to let your grievances be known.
The open comments for this meeting begin at the 25:00 minute mark and are all well worth watching.