Besides a vote to tie a final bow around the budget, the aldermen look to be tying off other loose ends in their committee agendas this week.
In the Bigger Fish to Fry category is Riverside: including work on parking, traffic, landscaping, etc. Incidentally, parking spaces, and waiving minimums, seems to take an inordinate amount of aldermanic time.
Capital projects continue to work their ways through the process, including Carr, Angier, fire stations and more.
And an interesting question: should the Aldermen be able to participate in meetings by Skype? Vote by email? That’s coming up in Programs & Services. What do you think?
I love Skype and am all in favor of using technology to modernize political participation.
However, attendance by Skype seems acceptable only if all attendees — and NewTV viewers as well — can hear and see that participant too.
Following board meetings from the audience –or on NewTV — is already frustrating because (a) you don’t have access to the documents that are being discussed (b) items are referred to by docket item without explaining what the item is for those of us who don’t have it in front of them and (c) that big screen in the Alderman chambers is often hard to see or read.
It’s not rocket science to put a mic next to the Skype video/speaker.
I’m for remote participation. Like most people, alderman have outside jobs, family responsibilities and busy lives. We should make it easier to attract good people to the job of alderman and this is one step in that direction.
Conceptually, I’m for the opportunity for an alderman, or school committee member, to be able to participate in discussions and vote remotely, but i do think it should be limited to special circumstances. Like when Sue Rosenbaum was out of the country, or when a Carleton Merrill was in FL.
i’d be concerned that, without limitations, we’d start gravitating to fewer and fewer elected officials showing up in person.
@Dan: Who becomes the decider who deems that Rosenbaum’s trip overseas or Merrill’s wintering in Florida are OK but someone else’s circumstances aren’t?
I suspect allowing this might encourage or make it easier for busy individuals to consider seeking office. I’m all for that. But, as I said earlier, it needs to be part of a total technology upgrade.
@Greg, don’t know the answer, but my usual approach in such cases is to inquire as to what other municipalities might be doing in this regard.
Except, few municipalities have anything close to a 24 person board. Conceivably, one could multiple aldermen Skyping in on the same meeting, Skype might be able to handle it, but could our staff? Could NewTV?
One of the more charming things about municipal mtgs is the uniform following of roberts rules. Part of that is the restricted ability to “abstain” from a vote (not sure of the formal word). What should happen if a signal cuts out? Does the mtg proceed w/o interruption? Do we need to investigate why it happened?