I’ve attended most Putnam County Board of Commissioners meetings over the last couple of years or so, providing me with a pretty good sample size to draw opinions from.
First, let me emphatically state, I don’t think anyone on or associated with the commission is criminally minded, selfishly serving, or blatantly corrupt. I also don’t think any votes or decisions are being made under any of those conditions either.
I do think, however, the commission frequently operates inefficiently, with meetings sometimes dragging on past three hours, only to reach essentially the same decisions that usually are established within minutes of their introductions. I mean, yes, healthy debate is good, but dead horses do start to stink after a while.
It often feels like no one is in charge. I mean, really in charge, with clear vision for each meeting, adhering to the agenda while focusing on reaching consensual results.
Ironically, though, in an apparent effort to streamline the process of public comments, the commission is now considering changing the rules for citizens speaking to commissioners from the podium, as well as preventing them from using county-provided audio/visual equipment to illustrate their concerns.
This is a problem that doesn’t need fixing, in my opinion. And it’s ludicrous to think that making citizens responsible for providing their own technology will help anyone. It’s regrettable, but this seems a clear attempt to dissuade dissent by making it just too much of a burden to show up and initiate.
Honestly, I don’t understand the commission’s motivation here. I see no legitimate reason to limit public input at all. It unfortunately looks like the commission has simply grown tired of listening to its constituents, which is a sorry commentary on what’s supposed to be a cornerstone of democracy.
If anyone needs an artificial time limit, it’s the commission itself.
Now, do I think certain citizens abuse, or at least stretch thin their right to speak at county meetings? Yes, I do. I believe some look only for what they can complain about, and no amount of good intentions — or good deeds — will dissuade them from finding the fly in the ointment. I really think taking the commission to task has become a sport to some, just something they enjoy doing, especially as they get better and better at it.
But you know what? That’s their right. And whether I — or more importantly, the commissioners — are tired of hearing their complaints, it’s a tenet of democracy. Take that right of complaint away, the ability to question “authority,” and dictatorship won’t be far behind, even at a county level.
So, no, we don’t have a perfect system. Not here in Eatonton, or in Putnam County, or Georgia, or certainly not in Washington, D.C. But it is the system we all have to work within. And it may not be perfect (what is?), but it can always be made better.
However, I just don’t believe restricting public input at the county level can achieve that goal.
What’s needed, I think, is better education on what makes an effective presentation from the citizens’ podium. Perhaps a brief explanation of rules for presenters, particularly as they relate to no response — no back-and-forth — would be forthcoming from the commissioners when a person steps up, would be helpful?
Instead, we’re frequently treated to someone asking a question and being met with silent stares — just as Robert’s Rules of Order calls for — which is at first baffling and then most often infuriating to the questioner. Just a quick, simple reminder before all public comment sessions would go a long way toward alleviating the awkwardness, I think. Right now, there seems to be an adversarial relationship developing between the Putnam County Commission and its citizen constituents.
No doubt the commissioners are well aware of this divide, too, but it remains up to them, and them alone, to close the gap before it swallows them whole. The next election is not all that far away.