The advances in technology that have taken place over the last decade provide new opportunities for bringing previously disenfranchised citizens into the process of governing. Up until recently, unless you had time to go to your local municipality and research the latest ordinances and resolutions passed or being considered by your town, you probably had little connection to what your locally elected officials were doing. Sure, you might read a headline in the local newspaper or show up a rare meeting if the local Zoning Board was about to allow some major construction project at your backdoor, but the activities of local government typically occur beyond the focus of the average citizen. We now have the tools to change that.
Imaging tools, youtube, broadband and digital technology allow us to transfer images, voice and video to the internet for widespread consumption. These advances in technology should bring local government to your desktop. Resolutions and ordinances being considered by local government should be accessible on the Township website. Meetings should be broadcast on local cable and then made available online. Minutes from meetings should be posted. Citizens should be able to contribute ideas, make representatives of local government aware of issues and generally participate in the governing process all through their desktop computers. I am not naive enough to believe that this will result in a tidal wave of participation in local government, but for those citizens interested in what's happening, and perhaps willing to get involved, the ability to do so should be far easier than it once was.
In Middletown, Patrick Short and I have co-sponsored a resolution to post all proposed ordinances and resolutions on the Township's website before meetings. Under the current procedures, if a resident shows up at a meeting, the only information he or she receives is an agenda. Unfortunatley, that agenda does not provide any detail on the specific resolution that will be voted upon. As a result, residents frequently sit and listedn to the
Township Committee discuss and then vote on matters without the benefit of anything describing what is being voted upon. Someone attending the meeting must wait until the public comments portion of the meeting to ask questions about what the Township Committe was voting on. This hardly makes sense. Residents should be able to go to the Township website and review or print any resolution pending for vote by the Township Committee. More important perhaps, they should have the opportunity to comment before the vote takes place.
From my perspective, the existing procedures are the product of a lengthy period of one-party Government in Middletown. Many of the important issues facing the Township were voted as part of a "consent agenda". In other words, all the agenda items requiring a vote would be lumped together and voted on at the same time without discussion. It made for quick meetings, but provided for almost no public input. Opening up the governing process by taking advantage of the technologies available to us will allow the ordinary citizen to keep closer tabs on the activities of elected officials. This is a good thing. Local governments are far less likely to stray from their mission when no one is holding them accountable.
I am hopeful that my joint motion with Mr. Short to post our resolutions and ordinances on the Township website (and make them available in print at the meetings) will be passed and thereby provide greater transparency into the activities of our local government.
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2 comments:
This resident has found that attempting to follow what is going on in government in Middletown is next to impossible and to participate very frustrating. To disagree with this republican majority invites retaliation !!
Hopefully recordings of committee meetings exist unaudited. I have found the written minutes have many inaccuracies and are approved without public imput.For too long this township has had one party control. Bipartisan government is healthier and far more transparent than it has been in many,many years.To air these meetings on television on the township station would be very beneficial.The public could then see first hand government at work in this township.It is this resident's contention that the republicans in this town are afraid of that exposure.Keep trying,Sean and Patrick. Your efforts are appreciated by many of the citizens in this township.We can no longer afford the practices of these last twenty five plus years.
It is difficult to follow, but Mr. Short and I have introduced a resolution to have all proposed resolutions posted on the Township website in advance of meetings. Our current process makes public participation in many aspects of our government difficult. We should be voting on this resolution at our next meeting. I agree that televising the meetings would also be beneficial and open the process of government to more residences. Unfortunately, we recently took a step backward when we passed a resolution restricting videotaping at meetings. Mr. Short and I voted against this resolution, but it passed 3-2. Lastly, bipartisanship is essential. When one party has all 5 seats, they can almost do whatever they want. It is very difficult if you are on the outside to keep an eye on what is going on. With that said, I believe our current elected officials have the ability to work together. We may not agree on everything, but I think we have seen movement in the last year or so on some issues that might have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago.
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