Council News
Growing the Mayor’s term; Downsizing the Commissions
The Mayor A reader may think this is old news, but it has a lasting effect on how votes count. At the February 8, 2014 City Council Retreat (p. 17), it was proposed that the Mayor’s two-year term be changed to four. The reasoning was that a Mayor barely learns the ropes in two years and then must run for re-election. Whereas, extending it to four years softens the learning curve. This item first appeared on the regular City Council Agenda on April 28, 2014 (p. 9) A draft ordinance (#512) was included for passage. Without resident comment, or any supporting data, the Council voted unanimously to approve the decision. During the discussion is was pointed out that resident input was not required. The Mayor’s term is now four years. Whether required to hold a public informational meeting, or not, this change needed voter feedback. The decision directly affects the residents
Council Meeting: “Structure” & Matters From the Floor
The Council discussed the structure of agenda, resident participation in meetings and Matters from the Floor. View the conversation here. Matters from the Floor* presentations from residents is “painful” (watch the Apr. 10, 2023 work session starting at hr. 2:04:10) for Mayor Labadie. After discussion, a majority of the Council resisted allowing any changes to the strict three minute, no Q&A, format now in place. In other words, residents may present their case, but officially, there will be no discussion. Watch the video and form your opinion, starting at hr. 1:18:19. Some Council Members support exercising “caution” because in the past, several residents were perceived as disrespectful to the Council at MTF. A Mapleview Court resident appeared (starting at hr. 08:50) at MTF on June 23, 2023 and thanked the Council for keeping MTF as part of every meeting. SCA Opinion: This forum, restricted as it is, is obviously important
Questioning a Council Member’s Vote x2
At the May 22. 2023 Council meeting, CM Sanschagrin chose to abstain from voting on a bond sale. He was challenged by the Mayor and CM Callies for abstaining. The City Attorney was asked for his opinion on the viability of the abstention. See the episode here. Note the attorney’s reply.* When can a voting member abstain? *Orono Council Member Benson recently faced a similar challenge at her first meeting. In that case, the Orono City Attorney (from the same firm as Shorewood’s attorney) correctly explained to her the meaning of an abstention. UPDATE (Jun 12, 2023): The City Attorney changed his previous opinion regarding the Sanschagrin’s “right” to abstain by saying the CM did indeed have that authority. He apologized for his error. CM Sanschagrin thanked him for his apology (start at hr.1:16.58). UPDATE #2 De ja vu (Jun 26, 2023): See a repeat of the Jun 12, 2023 episode
A Council Tied in Knots Over Hearing From Residents
“Every resident should be welcome, feel welcome, approached kindly, listened to, actually considered, and given the same amount of time on the floor as millionaire developers.” – Shorewood Resident
