[Vision2020] Moscow's Elected Officials and Commitment

[Tom Hansen]

Thank you for your discussion, Dan.

My suggestion of accountability for session attendance by city council members was intended to result in more than a mere knee-jerk posting to the Viz.

It is my opinion that, when the citizens of Moscow cast their votes for city council, they want to know that the candidates for whom they vote are reliable and dependable.  

The city council meets publicly in 24 sessions each year.  If a council member (regardless of their political party affiliation, as I stated earlier) is unable to attend sessions two evenings a month to discuss issues important to his/her constituents, perhaps they do not belong on the Moscow City Council.

The people have a right to know.  A simple tally reflecting how many sessions each council member has missed would be easy to maintain.

If GovTrack can monitor legislative attendance of 500+ members of congress . . . 

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members

Certainly the city can monitor council session attendance by six council members and one mayor, posting these records publicly as each member is up for reelection.
 
Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown



On Apr 17, 2012, at 12:15, "Dan Carscallen" <areaman at moscow.com> wrote:

> Tom,
> 
> We do keep track.  
> 
> I think everyone has been absent a time or two, including Her Honor, because
> I believe I've run one council meeting this year as acting mayor, and I know
> I ran one last year when both she and Councilman Krauss were absent.
> Councilman Lamar was gone for a month this year (he lucked out that we
> cancelled meetings in the interim), and a month last year, sort of an annual
> vacation thing, just like Councilman Steed is right now.  Councilor Scott
> took some vacation time as well earlier this year.  I've called in sick at
> the last minute at least once, and once I skipped because of a death in the
> family.  
> 
> It's only distressing when we can't get a quorum. Or when something untoward
> happens, like when councilman Dickinson went missing (which was distressing
> on multiple levels)
> 
> We try to schedule our outings around meetings, but our families don't
> revolve around us.  We all have to work things around multiple vacation
> schedules, and for me family comes first.
> 
> As far as who's up for election when: The Mayor, Councilors Brown, Scott,
> and Krauss are up in 2013.  Myself, Councilors Lamar and Steed are up in
> 2015.
> 
> Thanks for your concern.
> 
> Your pal
> 
> DC
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
> On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
> Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 11:04 AM
> To: Moscow Vision 2020
> Subject: [Vision2020] Moscow's Elected Officials and Commitment
> 
> Greetings all -
> 
> Rumor (from a reliable source) has it that Councilman Walter Steed could not
> participate in last night's city council session as he was away on vacation
> in Europe.
> 
> Elected city officials (regardless of which side of the political aisle)
> should be held into account for failing to fulfill their municipal
> obligations. Anything short of that merely encourages a lack of
> responsibility.
> 
> I suggest that the city, for the sake of its citizens, maintain a record of
> absences (accompanied with reasons for each absence) as a matter of public
> record, and be made publicly accessible when each elected official is up for
> reelection.
> 
> It's only right!
> 
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
> 
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
> 
> "If not us, who?
> If not now, when?"
> 
> - Unknown
> 
> 
> 
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