A Happy Coincidence.
By Jim Conley • March 27th, 2007 • Email This Post to a Friend •
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It’s always such a happy coincidence when the Brookline Selectmen decide to hold a public hearing on say, fee increases and forget to post notice of the hearing on their Web site. Because that’s what they’ve done in advance of tonight’s hearing on increasing refuse, parking meter and sign fees. (Visit the Town’s site and you can’t miss that Brookline was one of 72 communities recognized by Common Cause for using the Web to advance open government.)
Not that it matters what the public has to say. The con is on, and this is all parcel to the scare campaign being waged by Town Administrator Richard Kelliher in support of a Proposition 2.5 over-ride vote.
If the Selectmen were really interested in new sources of revenue, they’d start charging fees to multi-unit property owners for inspection services, sanitation upkeep and police visits.
But for Selectman’s Chair Robert L. Allen, Jr. that means going up against his law firm’s client base. [see previous posts] Which is another form of open government, I suppose.
Update: And, of course, as Archie’s been reporting here, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation will brief the Selectmen this evening on current plans for the so-called Urban Ring project. Maybe that’s going to be in executive session.
Jim Conley is publisher of On Brookline.
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I just checked the Master Calendar for the BOS meeting today and there was no posting of the agenda. (1:15 PM) I called the office of the coordinator for the Urban Ring Phase 2 and it was confirmed that at 5:30 PM an update will be presented to the BOS. By failing to post the agenda, it is possible that some will not attend or watch on cable. I’m sure that the failure to post is not related to the Urban Ring project. Perhaps as Jim suggests it has to do with fees. Whatever the reason, it is contra to openness in governance. I just watched Bill Bradley on Charlie Rose discussing his new book. Bill states in effect that honest, open government is a dunk shot. Here in Brookline, I’d call the BOS failure a foul, a fowl foul. Cluck, cluck!
I checked the Town’s Master Calendar just now (6:30 AM) and lo and behold, there is posted the BOS agenda for last night’s meeting. It was not posted when I checked yesterday at 1:15 PM. I wonder when it was posted. Just another “OOPS!” moment at the Sixth Floor of Town Hall. Is Common Cause reconsidering its recent IP award?