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Openness in Governing

Carbondale citizens want to have access to and be a part of our government. This is a simple request. Many Carbondale residents, like Leslie Duram, have asked me about how the city decided to purchase the American Tap property at three times its appraised value from a convicted felon. This is information which should be available to the public, but the majority of the council has continued to keep this information hidden. I have worked to make this information available, and I will continue to do so. This is just one example of the ways in which Carbondale government can and should be more open.

My goal is to provide as much public access to city records as is possible. Some matters, like personnel decisions, will still have to be closed, but most business should be conducted out in the open. If there is a question as to whether or not a matter should be discussed in public, I will favor openness. I will use the city's public access television channel to make sure that citizens have access to council meetings, planning and zoning commission meetings and liquor control commission meetings as well.

Action:

  1. Regularly evaluate, with the council, city clerk and city attorney, minutes from closed meetings, with the goal of disclosure whenever possible. When closed meeting records cannot be made available to the public, I will provide as much information as is possible as to why information is not available.
  2. Disclose, to the extent possible, what kinds of discussions will take place in closed meetings and why they cannot be made public.
  3. Use the city’s website to notify the public about upcoming council agenda items as soon as possible. More advance notice will allow for more citizen participation.
  4. Broadcast public meetings, including liquor control commission meetings on the city's public access television channel.
  5. Promote, rather than discourage, full participation for Carbondale citizens in public meetings.

Please click on any topic above for more information and specific actions I plan to take. You may also download A Working Plan for Carbondale in PDF format.