Articles and Position Papers

Applauding Public Participation, Open Government

Call for Pueblo City Council to Reinstate Public Comment at Regular Meetings

By: Policy Committee

Summary: By general consensus at the meeting of October 22, 2007, Better Pueblo, Inc. goes on public record as calling on Pueblo City Council to reinstate the public comment segment at regular Council meetings. Full text of this policy statement follows. [10/22/2007]

Text of full article:

Recent actions of Pueblo City Council eliminating the public forum component of their regular televised meetings is totally contrary to the beliefs of Better Pueblo, a leading civic organization that promotes quality of life and the common good in Pueblo County. These beliefs are grounded in democratic principles that affirm the right and duty of citizens to participate in local government. Greater openness and transparency in government further provides people with information they need to be good active citizens and serves to hold government accountable to the people, at whose behest they serve.

Therefore, Better Pueblo calls for Pueblo City Council to rescind their decision and reinstate the public comment period at their regular, and televised, meetings.

Pueblo City Council’s contract agreement with Pueblo Community College to film and air regular council meetings on public television is an achievement in public disclosure and should be applauded. Given that both City Council and the airing of the meetings are paid for by taxpayers, it seems all the more appropriate for those taxpayers to have the opportunity to have a public say before the council, seen by other taxpayers, who in turn get to see what is being said. In addition, such public airing has the side affect of encouraging accurate and responsible reporting. It is all part of good government.

We commend the Council for its recent decision to allow public comment at their work sessions and hope that such practice will continue. To have public comment at both regular meetings and work sessions best serves the community and democratic processes.

Better Pueblo believes that good recommendations often lead to other good recommendations. To that end, Better Pueblo also recommends the following to Pueblo City Council in the spirit of shared responsibility to the common good.

One, the policy of speaking before the Council should be corrected to allow all residents of Pueblo County to address the Council regardless of whether they live in the city. The interdependence of the City and County are indisputable. Those who live in the county are affected by decisions made in the City and therefore should have recourse to at least some participation in those decisions, having a public say being the minimum. Respectively, the City benefits substantially from the people who are so often in the city to visit, work, shop, pay for services, recreate, receive medical care, and much more.

Two, Better Pueblo suggests that good should add to good and that the length of public comment be increased to a minimum of five minutes per person at either the work session or regular meetings.

We understand that meetings may go long and that some will question the efficacy of some public comment. Such is the way with democracy of the people and for the people. Those in public office who see their position as one of opportunity to serve the people and the broader community are correct to place the need to foster public participation above the discomforts that might sometimes accompany that participation. We also take heart at the efforts of those who took the time to demonstrate in front of their City Hall to preserve their democratic rights and duties. Such are the fruits of democracy.