I keep thinking about the ram with a bad case of stage fright. I was talking with a friend about this and she made a great point. If a guy raising sheep can get a city of 6000 people to move their fireworks show then maybe people outside the city limits do matter. Maybe they do have some pull when it comes to issues in the city. Maybe they are just as important as those who live in the city.
So to all of you that live outside of the city if you learn anything from the little ram who couldn't, learn this: You do matter. Speak up. We are ready to hear from you. Duvall is your town too. Welcome.
Thomas, of course Duvall City Council members should care about members of our community outside city limits. The farmer across the river is affected by Duvall choices. People from Carnation and Monroe who use our Main Street get to enjoy the face lift it got. We want to draw people here with special festivals. Keeping our town prosperous and happy (yea, even sustainable) depends upon our consideration of people on both sides of the Duvall City line.
ReplyDeleteMonths ago, when discovering your real identity Hillary said that she shouldn't care about what you think because you live outside of Duvall . . . just outside. She seemed to propose that all of your good points were suddenly null and void. BUT,If Duvall is where you shop, work, go to school, eat, then you matter to Duvall. The ram across the river has proven that.
However, I still have this concern: I DO live in the City of Duvall, and I'm not entirely convinced that I matter to the Duvall City Council. I don't feel they represent me (and most of the city). Many members seem to represent their own agendas only. This point was made when I heard that E.W. was not going around town to hear what citizens' input about her "sustainability" proposal, but rather was hand selecting people who would support her. This is backwards.
Next election, I want to see candidates that treat us all like we matter. - Carolyn Durant
very well said. Thank you for your perspective.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you - I think we've heard a couple variations on this theme from a variety of people. John Donne has been quoted as saying 'No man is an island', and that applies equally to all cities and towns.
Yes - that includes Duvall, even when the valley is flooded and we can't get anywhere :D
Is there any other evidence that the attitude 'people residing outside city limits do not matter' exists on the city council?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, I have seen this type of behavior. Councilmembers have ignored questions from me seeking information on projects or proposal and some have publicly berated me, the ideas presented on this blog as well as the blog itself.
I do not think that those who live outside the city limits are the only ones who are treated this way. Several requests for comments on stories for the newspaper have been ignored or answered with a terse one or two sentences.
I had hoped that the people who reperesent our city would be more responsive to the public on many things.
I will say that at one time or another each of the city council members has been helpful and generous with their time and effort, but too many times they are less than stellar in how they treat all of us and especially our right to know what the City Council is up to.
It is wholly unacceptable not to comply with the public records act, let alone unlawful.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if a records request is specific then they are required to respond promptly.
ReplyDeleteHow specific are public records requests supposed to be? Do you have any examples of this?
ReplyDeleteThe ones I have submitted were fairly simple, asking for email correspondence and the like. From what I understand you generally need to ask for a specific subject matter or information from specific people.
ReplyDeleteFor example, if you asked for all communication between a council member and any insurance salesman who practices in and around Duvall then it would not be specific enough. Not only are insurance salesmen allowed to operate in a wide area and the potential list of people is massive, but it is so broad that the possibility of missing something is immense thus opening the city to a possible lawsuit for failing to provide the required documentation.
So to answer your question the best I can, if you are going to do a public records request be as specific as possible and provide as much information as possible when filling out the required forms. It will make the search go faster, it will make it easier for the City Clerk to get you the information and you are more likely to get the information you request.
Having Council Members follow policies and be fair and open with public information is one of many ways they can work as representatives. I was thinking more along the lines of "when I vote, I should make choices that reflect what the community wants."
ReplyDeleteWe can also see obvious times when this is not happening. I have attended Council meetings where all of the comments from the public discouraged the Council from an action that they then take anyway. The increase of the tranportation impact fee is one specific vote where this happened.
To be a representative, a council member should try to REPRESENT the public, not ignore them.
-Carolyn Durant
Well said!
ReplyDeleteBarry
Abuse of the public records act probably happens all across our nation. There are some examples of it in our State - Duvall is one of them. What is the next step a constituent takes when they are denied information from a public records request? Have others been successful getting info that is withheld, even when they've done everything they're supposed to?
ReplyDeleteThe next step is for a constituent to sue the city. State law allows citizens up to $100 per day per record that is not produced.
ReplyDeleteThere are many examples of citizens winning their case against cities. Cases in Monroe, Gold Bar, Shoreline and Seattle are just a few. These can get very expensive for the city. In one recent case the court awarded an amount that was equal to twice the yearly operating budget of the city. This is a huge problem if they are not handled correctly.