Residents concerned over communication with city leaders
Aug 19, 2008 - 09:47:44 CDT.
by Loretta Harding Contributing Writer
Quad Press
CENTERVILLE — At their Aug. 13 meeting, Centerville City Council members exchanged curt remarks with two residents who took the podium to address their displeasure with the council's communication methods stemming from the 2009 Street Improvement Project. Mayor Mary Capra cut short resident Julie Riemen's comments about her conversations and e-mails with council member Tom Lee, in which she said that professionalism needed to be addressed.
"You're getting personal. This is done," Capra told Riemen.
A group of five people attending the meeting called out for the mayor to let Riemen speak.After council members Lee and Jeff Paar responded that Riemen could continue, Capra gave Riemen and any speakers following her two minutes to complete their address.
When Riemen continued her remarks, she said that the council had not responded to her e-mails until the day of the meeting and that she felt unwelcome to speak. She further noted that if citizens inspected government data, they'd find that the City of Centerville carried a long-term debt of more than $8 million.Riemen recommended that residents become informed by visiting a Web site, Centerville Citizens for Ethical Taxation and Representation, at http://www.centervillemn.blogspot.com/. The next speaker, Laura Powers, called attention to a petition that started what she called a "power struggle." The petition was signed by more than 500 citizens and called for the city to step back and reassess the scope of the 2009 road project. She objected to allegations by at least one council member that the petition was invalid and called for the council to apologize. As a former Centerville council member, Powers said that the council was elected to serve, and that service comes with a responsibility to listen and display demeanor. The council heard out Powers and Riemen and resumed the meeting without further comment
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Since when is "personal" not allowed in a two minute open forum? Nice try, Mayor Capra. Why don't you talk about that 8 million dollar debt!
When the heat gets turned up in the kitchen Mayor Capra feels the need to get out....Why???
Maybe she is not up for the challenges of office. Me thinks Dallas Larson or the City Attorney tell her what to do. Nice to think we have a puppet in office. Who is up for running?
Tom, I think you should run against her. Someone needs to step up. It's easy to say that she needs to go but if no one runs against her she will stay up there.
It sounds like you have the motivation. So how 'bout it?
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