Good Evening. My name is Frances Loubere. I have lived at XXXXX for 22 years. I spoke before this Council on June 11 regarding Victor Wogen’s election.
I am here today for two reasons.
First: To discuss the inadequate and, until today, unavailable minutes of that meeting.
Second: To reiterate my questions from a month ago and ask, again, that these be part of the public record.
Regarding the minutes.
While they were approved on June 25, they were not posted online until today. I checked frequently.
Perhaps I am naïve, but having worked up the nerve to speak before the council, the audience and cable channel viewers, I assumed my comments would be noted. But -- the minutes report only: “Ms Frances Loubere, 826 N. 7th Street, spoke regarding the results of the recent Third Ward election.”
Why did I speak? What did I say? How is anyone to know either now, or in the future?
An accurate summary (and it doesn’t have to be verbatim) of comments is surely necessary:
For our democratic process
For transparency
For accountability
Legally
For the historic record.
Why was my June 11 statement drained of useful information? For that matter, why were the comments of the three citizens who spoke on May 29 also neutralized?
The paltry summary of my statement is tantamount to censorship because I observe that the minutes do summarize particular content from Mr. Wogen’s response – his understandable desire to get past the issue. But what is the issue? It’s not reported.
On June 11, Victor Wogen (and if he was here I’d thank him) did respond to one of my requests. He publicly stated that he is not anti-gay and would have voted the same way as his predecessor did in 1998. In the minutes, the City Clerk chose to ignore this important statement.
I request, for the record, that future minutes of these meetings reflect accurately and fairly what is said and that council members not rubber stamp approval.
Regarding my questions from June 11, intended for the public record:
These are directed to the whole Council:
Who was responsible for the infamous flyer?
Who paid and how much was spent?
What has been done to find out?
Will Mr. Wogen and Council members distance themselves from those responsible for the flyer and repudiate last minute election smear tactics?
If these things won’t be done, why not?
Democracy requires vigilance, trust, transparency and accountability.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Thank you
I am here today for two reasons.
First: To discuss the inadequate and, until today, unavailable minutes of that meeting.
Second: To reiterate my questions from a month ago and ask, again, that these be part of the public record.
Regarding the minutes.
While they were approved on June 25, they were not posted online until today. I checked frequently.
Perhaps I am naïve, but having worked up the nerve to speak before the council, the audience and cable channel viewers, I assumed my comments would be noted. But -- the minutes report only: “Ms Frances Loubere, 826 N. 7th Street, spoke regarding the results of the recent Third Ward election.”
Why did I speak? What did I say? How is anyone to know either now, or in the future?
An accurate summary (and it doesn’t have to be verbatim) of comments is surely necessary:
For our democratic process
For transparency
For accountability
Legally
For the historic record.
Why was my June 11 statement drained of useful information? For that matter, why were the comments of the three citizens who spoke on May 29 also neutralized?
The paltry summary of my statement is tantamount to censorship because I observe that the minutes do summarize particular content from Mr. Wogen’s response – his understandable desire to get past the issue. But what is the issue? It’s not reported.
On June 11, Victor Wogen (and if he was here I’d thank him) did respond to one of my requests. He publicly stated that he is not anti-gay and would have voted the same way as his predecessor did in 1998. In the minutes, the City Clerk chose to ignore this important statement.
I request, for the record, that future minutes of these meetings reflect accurately and fairly what is said and that council members not rubber stamp approval.
Regarding my questions from June 11, intended for the public record:
These are directed to the whole Council:
Who was responsible for the infamous flyer?
Who paid and how much was spent?
What has been done to find out?
Will Mr. Wogen and Council members distance themselves from those responsible for the flyer and repudiate last minute election smear tactics?
If these things won’t be done, why not?
Democracy requires vigilance, trust, transparency and accountability.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Thank you
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