Open Forum Statement the Mayor Tried to Stop

During the open forum of the August 13, 2008 council meeting one citizen attempted to make a statement. A few sentences into it the Mayor tried to stop her. That is until others in the room started shouting to let her speak. The resident became so flustered that she did not read her statement in it's entirety.

Mayor Capra and Council Members

This brief statement is intended to offer a suggestion regarding how the City officials might improve communication as it pertains to dealing with the citizens of Centerville.
To provide some background of my perspective:

I contacted council member Tom Lee on June 9th in regard to a right of way issue involving my property. As a citizen of Centerville I felt it was proper to contact a person who should be representing me. Never did I imagine this simple act would turn into such a fiasco. The comments and dissatisfaction expressed to me by other residents about Mr. Lee’s actions since this date have been extremely distressing for me.

Going forward, I find it startling that emails go unanswered and simple questions are not responded to by the very people offering suggestions and making decisions for the City. I believe the issue of professionalism needs to be addressed. To cite specific examples for you:

August 8th I contacted Jim Meyer, the City Finance Director, copied Dallas Larson and Teresa Bender regarding the City Debt, as I could not find the dollar amount myself.
This information is public record and according to Minnesota Statute, Access to Government Data 13.03, subdivision 2,
Upon request to a responsible authority, a person shall be permitted to inspect and copy public government data at reasonable times and places, and, upon request, shall be informed of the data's meaning.
There had been no response from anyone until this afternoon, hours before the open forum. The reply I received was from Mr. Meyer. Were two sentences with no explanation. He stated The City of Centerville has $8,055,596 in long term debt. Call with any questions. What I was looking for was some formal documentation.

July 23rd multiple emails were forwarded to the Mayor regarding some statements made by Mr. Lee in respect to the Letter of Concern, the people involved and myself. The Mayor chose to finally acknowledge my email on August 12, 2008. One day before this open forum. I do understand that she has recently attempted to broker some sort of “off the record” meeting with all the individuals involved, which should include me. However, I have learned that I am not welcomed to speak in this meeting. Apparently it is a private, non city business, off the record affair, yet the City Attorney will be present. The meeting is scheduled to immediately follow this evening’s Council session.
To expand, in my opinion, this is not a private issue. This is a matter of a sitting council member disparaging the hard work of the citizens of Centerville. Upon reading the email history which the Mayor and Council have already received, one must conclude that some of Lee’s written statements were hostile, condescending and completely out of line for that of a city representative. I find this attitude alarming as do many other citizens that I have spoken with and who have accessed the new citizens’ blog. If you are interested, it is.
Centerville Citizens for Ethical Taxation and Representation at http://www.centervillemn.blogspot.com/
Please feel free to contribute any thoughts or facts regarding the City.

One last example, on July 17th Emails were sent to members on the Park and Recreation Committee regarding the July 9th memo in which they recommended a 10 foot trail to Mill Road be reintroduced. The ONLY person that responded was Mr. Haiden, he did so the next day. Since he could not answer specific questions regarding the safety issues on Mill Road, he assured me that he would forward it on to Suzanne Seeley, the Chair Person of Park and Recreation. Mr. Haiden may not have known that she had already received the same email. As of today, no one else has responded, or even acknowledged the questions regarding the grant monies and usage I would like to extend a thank you to Mr. Haiden for taking his position seriously. His professionalism sets an example for others and is greatly appreciated.

In closing, such deficient behavior from our elected officials should be addressed. An automated email response would be a good start, to inform citizens their email has been received, with some protocol set in place for returning messages in a timely and polite manner. To avoid future conflict, interpersonal skills training might be a step in the right direction for some council members and would be beneficial for our Community.

This concludes my statement.
Thank You.

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