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September 20, 2007
Are Chattanooga City Council members "deliberating" in private? (updated)
This whole Knox County trial undoubtedly has me a little jumpy, but I received a tip today from an unnamed source, one that conveyed the distinct impression that several members of the Chattanooga City Council are discussing an upcoming vote via e-mail.
The matter in question is the EPB plan to spend over $200 million to string fiber optic infrastructure to Chattanooga homes and thus compete in the residential cable/telephone/broadband market.
The Council is set to vote on the issue next Tuesday; could it be that they are holding "deliberations" outside of public view?
I ask this only to raise the peripheral questions, like, in this BlackBerry age, how much difference is there between a conversation in 3-D and one in text? And so on. I don't know where the line really gets drawn, although I suspect the Knox County case will strike an initial demarcation.
Still, I think that if I were on the Council, I would be extra careful right about now to make sure all appearances were on the up-and-up.
In case you're wondering, the tipster stated that three of the Council members are a definite yes on the proposal, which leaves two three more to ensure a minimum 5-4 6-3 victory.
I stress that this is unconfirmed, as I do not have any e-mail evidence; but the source is a very reliable one. Check back for updates.
Update 1: Well, according to the blog by Jack McElroy, editor of the Knox News-Sentinel, I might not have much of a chance, or even need, of getting something done about this. In a post on the "sunshine law," McElroy explains that if a governing body later deliberates the matter in public (say, this coming Tuesday night), then there is no penalty to pursue. Furthermore, only citizens with access to lots of cash (not me) have any chance of successfully suing, so there's not much to be made over any and every little private conversation.
That said, I tend to agree with his assessment that the law needs "more teeth." Or there needs to be some way for us to know what our elected representatives are doing, and why.
Whatchyall thank?
Government | By joe lance | 10:59 PM