Editor's note: Mr. Rennick writes in response to the BayToday story Councillor Inch wants to fix 'disappointing' town hall meetings.
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To the editor:
These town hall meetings and other citizen engagement initiatives hosted by the city touted as evidence of their commitment to openness and accessibility, are nothing more than hypocritical malarkey.
Amending the procedural rules will do nothing to change the culture at city hall which treats citizens as little more than a necessary distraction. Senior city staff and many current council members are like teenagers who can barely tolerate their parents - except when it come time for them to cover their credit card bill.
Councillor Inch's attempt to amend the procedural rules misses the point; the rules aren't the real problem. Without concrete action, any changes will be a wasted effort.
Taxpayers are getting no help from council regarding rising municipal taxes and those couple of council members who are actually interested in affecting change are regularly blocked at every turn or have thrown up their hands in disgust. The half million dollars we are paying annually to support these elected officials is a complete waste of time and effort.
Mayor Chirico’s refusal to allow open questions, citing procedural rules, is nothing more than an excuse to avoid scrutiny while maintaining the appearance of openness. My repeated attempts to meet with him and senior city officials regarding several harmful policies have been unsuccessful.
These policies and others have driven city taxes to rise at twice the rate of inflation over the past decade, even as the population declines and business growth remains stagnant.
Donald Rennick CPA, CA
North Bay
