What interesting things you hear at Council Planning Sessions

I heard some things stated last night that stunned me. One such item was when Ms. Farmer asked why a sitting council member would have to leave a DDA or DAPS meeting when they go into executive session. Some people will say that it makes sense for them to leave but not when you stop and think about it. If a sitting council member is asked to leave, then that means the board can freely operate in secret from the council meeting. I can understand the council member not participating in the discussion and still being bound by the secrecy but what I cannot understand is why the board would even insist on them leaving.

Another thing was said last night that nearly caused me to fall out of my chair. Someone mentioned that the City Manager was out of town for a few days and had not notified the council as has been done since the city has had a manager. Someone else asked why the city manager should notify the council just because she takes a vacation. The same council member responded, “well, she works for us.” The Mayor chuckled and said he disagreed with that notion. Really? If the city manager does not work for the Mayor and Council then who does she work for? That is how the charter is written but then again, according to my opponent on a recent Nextdoor thread, the council can violate the charter anytime they want so long as the legal counsel says it is OK. Seriously, a citizen pointed out four distinct violations just this year and my opponent responded with,

“I can give you one simple answer to answer all of your questions. But I must stipulate that the entire premise of almost all of your “questions’ are invalid because they presume violations of the city charter where there have been none. As most people are aware, we employ one of the best attorney’s in Cobb County who specializes in municipal law to sit in on each meeting and work session to insure that we are following proper procedure and everything we do is done within the terms defined by the city charter… If you still disagree than perhaps you should direct your questions to the city attorney ?”

Like the citizen responded, I did not know the legal counsel was an elected official. It is time for a change and I want to be that change.