Staff Blog
Does Michael Nutter HATE FREEDOM (of information)?
Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
posted by Doron Taussig
categories Hall Monitor, News
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| How about a leak, old friend? |
On the one hand, this would seem to be a more efficient way of conducting negotiations. The principals don't have to worry about positioning themselves correctly for the next-day's spin; the risk of hurt feelings over insults hurled in print is reduced; and all in all, the negotiations can become the true focus of the negotiations.
On the other hand, there's a reason we have sunshine laws in this country (not that one applies in this case — the unions are not bodies of public officials — but the principle still might). Back-room negotiations, for obvious reasons, encourage back-room dealings: they reduce transparency and accountability (which Nutter has often, but not always, seemed to believe in), and enable corruption.
Do I think that will happen in this case? I don't; the parties in this discussion don't have the preexisting relationship, nor the common interest. But we should be skeptical, I think, of any public proceeding being moved out of the public view. It reduces the ability to monitor them (which we may notice the next time we have a mayor in this town who is friendly with the public-sector unions). Also, it gives me less stuff to write about.
[...] Closed-door negotiations? The Clog objects. [...]
Michael Nutter had promised on several occasions in front of press (on one particular time at City Hall,outside his office) that he would respond to 4th,5th & 6th grade letters from F.S. Edmonds Elementary School which were submitted to him along with petitions from the Wadsworth Community. Has he responded, no. He also said at a Town Hall Meeting which was held at Martin Luther King High School December 18th he forgot but told a 12yr old(one of the writers) that the school would receive a response to the letters at the school by January 5th, 2009. When confronting him with regards to the response at a local town hall meeting hosted by Cherell Parker. His response when asked was “I thought that was taken care of”. At that time he was informed it wasn’t but said it would be done. All I can say is that it is now March 6th, 2009. No response. If a Mayor is not even organized enough to make sure his “secretary” sends out a stamped letter for children..how organized is he to manage our city?