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Re: Recall of RA Members

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 1:46 pm
by Felicia Fortune

1. Including a way for citizens to provide input during the asynchronous session

Something that I've noticed during meetings that seems to slow them down is the amount of time that citizens are allowed to give their input to matters before the RA. While I am all for allowing citizens to give their input, I'm not sure that during a meeting is the proper place.

For instance, in RL, my town council restricts public input during a meeting. Members of the public are allowed to speak for 1 minute during the beginning of a meeting because if everyone were allowed to speak any time they wished during a meeting, nothing would get done and meetings would last much longer than anyone cared to attend (kind of like the RA meetings now). After each meeting, citizens are given the chance to speak as long as they wish after a meeting. Citizens are also encouraged to contact their elected officials on any given topic. Typically, this is why agendas of meetings are published in advance and topics not on the agenda disallowed. Any voting rightfully takes place at the next regular meeting as it gives time for citizens to provide input.

Also, government officials often hold "Public Hearings" on matters in which decisions that could affect large numbers of people are presented to the public for input long before an issue comes up for a vote. These meetings are strictly used to gather input.

The CDS could implement similar types hearings and be ran by a single member of government with transcripts of such hearings made available on the CDS Portal along with any written comments submitted to the chair about the subject by those unable to attend.

However, none of this addresses the real topic of the thread which is the recall of elected RA members who are unwilling or unable to fulfill their duties.

Felicia


Re: Recall of RA Members

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:38 pm
by Cadence Theas
Felicia Fortune wrote:

Something that I've noticed during meetings that seems to slow them down is the amount of time that citizens are allowed to give their input to matters before the RA. While I am all for allowing citizens to give their input, I'm not sure that during a meeting is the proper place.

I think that there is a lot of personal style of the LRA at play regarding this issue. Since in rl, most of my research activity is community-based and with the intention of influencing public policy from a community perspective, I place a high value on public input in formal settings. This is my personal style that I have brought to the office. Other LRAs might maintain a tighter meeting. This, however, cannot be legislated, it would be impractical to legislate it, and, in my opinion, make the meetings dull beyond repair. That it sometimes gets out of hand is one of the possible consequences. But as LRA, I think that this is one of the more important venues for there to be public input and serves to a certain extent to keep the RA members on their toes and cognisant of the attitudes and ideas of the CDS citizens.


Re: Recall of RA Members

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 3:56 am
by Felicia Fortune

Since no one seems to want to discuss the actual topic at hand, I have reposted it here: http://forums.slcds.info/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6559