I was sitting down after a day's work on April 28 to read the paper. And not to my surprise was an article under "Our View" that was talking about closed meeting issues.
It stated in the article that an aldermen remained in a meeting room after our closed meeting session had ended on April 23, and the door was closed on the Monroe Times reporter, Tere Dunlap. As it stated in the April 24 news article Tere had written, I had stayed in the meeting room with Mayor Ron Marsh, City Attorney Rex Ewald and City Clerk Carol Stamm behind closed doors. I was the only aldermen in the room; there was no quorum, no violation, nothing as suggested by The Times. I was, and am, totally within my right as an alderman to discuss whatever is needed with whomever I need to, in a closed-door room as long as a quorum is not present.
As Salary and Personnel Committee chairman, Claims chairman, Finance and Taxation vice chairman, vice chairman of Public Works, and member of the Ethics Committee, things arise when helping to run a city that need this form of privacy. Not to hinder the public, or the press from receiving information, but to do my job to the best of my abilities as an alderman.
You see, when you are elected as an alderman, there isn't a class available called "Alderman 101." If you're fortunate enough, a few good fellow aldermen take you under their belt for a few months, to show you the ropes, and in return I have tried to do this for our new aldermen. We also have our yearly informational meeting with City Attorney Rex Ewald to explain the legal side of the dos and don'ts of being a good and legally correct alderman. Then, you're thrown into what can be affectionately know as the "lions den" to help run one of the largest businesses in the area, the City of Monroe, a very difficult, sometimes sleep-depriving position that also has many valuable attributes to go along with it.
I would appreciate it if the information printed in the paper for everyone to read would be fair and accurate, so not to cause any damage to our business or personal lives. We owe it to our constituents, as well as ourselves, to be, and do, the best that we can in our positions that they have elected us to. In time, information will evolve, when ready, and legally able to, on any issue we have to contend with. But, only when we have the accurate details and information needed to make a responsible ruling or decision.
Criticisms sometimes can be difficult to handle, whether in the press or public, but we know the truth, and I guess that is all that should matter. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that damage can be done by inaccurate reporting.
I'm sure hearing "no comment" is not the best thing to hear when trying to write an exciting article, but it is a necessary term that sometimes needs to be used. All I can say to the public and press is, once again, "Trust us." You would want us to be doing the things that we are, the way that we are, to obtain and deal with the information and situations at hand.
It's a new age in the Monroe City Council, and we take our positions and the situations that we have to deal with very seriously. Being an alderman is not a hobby, it's a full-time job, including the full-time headaches. I would like to take this time to say "thank you" to Mayor Ron Marsh, City Attorney Rex Ewald, fellow aldermen, and staff for continuing to remain professional in all of our positions and situations.
It stated in the article that an aldermen remained in a meeting room after our closed meeting session had ended on April 23, and the door was closed on the Monroe Times reporter, Tere Dunlap. As it stated in the April 24 news article Tere had written, I had stayed in the meeting room with Mayor Ron Marsh, City Attorney Rex Ewald and City Clerk Carol Stamm behind closed doors. I was the only aldermen in the room; there was no quorum, no violation, nothing as suggested by The Times. I was, and am, totally within my right as an alderman to discuss whatever is needed with whomever I need to, in a closed-door room as long as a quorum is not present.
As Salary and Personnel Committee chairman, Claims chairman, Finance and Taxation vice chairman, vice chairman of Public Works, and member of the Ethics Committee, things arise when helping to run a city that need this form of privacy. Not to hinder the public, or the press from receiving information, but to do my job to the best of my abilities as an alderman.
You see, when you are elected as an alderman, there isn't a class available called "Alderman 101." If you're fortunate enough, a few good fellow aldermen take you under their belt for a few months, to show you the ropes, and in return I have tried to do this for our new aldermen. We also have our yearly informational meeting with City Attorney Rex Ewald to explain the legal side of the dos and don'ts of being a good and legally correct alderman. Then, you're thrown into what can be affectionately know as the "lions den" to help run one of the largest businesses in the area, the City of Monroe, a very difficult, sometimes sleep-depriving position that also has many valuable attributes to go along with it.
I would appreciate it if the information printed in the paper for everyone to read would be fair and accurate, so not to cause any damage to our business or personal lives. We owe it to our constituents, as well as ourselves, to be, and do, the best that we can in our positions that they have elected us to. In time, information will evolve, when ready, and legally able to, on any issue we have to contend with. But, only when we have the accurate details and information needed to make a responsible ruling or decision.
Criticisms sometimes can be difficult to handle, whether in the press or public, but we know the truth, and I guess that is all that should matter. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that damage can be done by inaccurate reporting.
I'm sure hearing "no comment" is not the best thing to hear when trying to write an exciting article, but it is a necessary term that sometimes needs to be used. All I can say to the public and press is, once again, "Trust us." You would want us to be doing the things that we are, the way that we are, to obtain and deal with the information and situations at hand.
It's a new age in the Monroe City Council, and we take our positions and the situations that we have to deal with very seriously. Being an alderman is not a hobby, it's a full-time job, including the full-time headaches. I would like to take this time to say "thank you" to Mayor Ron Marsh, City Attorney Rex Ewald, fellow aldermen, and staff for continuing to remain professional in all of our positions and situations.
