Dear Editor:
During the lengthy council meeting of March 19, sixth ward councilman Angelo Giacci introduced the concept to return to using a caucus to discuss issues before the actual council meeting. This suggestion has considerable merit and should be adopted. Items and issues can be discussed, consensus gained and new items can be promptly pulled if the council needs more study time or requires additional information. Meetings going after midnight are totally unacceptable and present a burden to all in attendance.
The discussion on the proposed “rules” for the public was time consuming and ultimately resulted with it being pulled from the agenda. The council members should have this ‘vehicle’ which will enable them to have more concise discourse.
One of the procedural rules called for the police and fire chiefs to be present during meetings. One opinion was that this was not necessary because we now have a director of public safety. During my watch as fire chief, this was a requirement and I found that such attendance provided important information and insight on the broad scope of all aspects of city government. Additionally, since the chiefs run the day to day operations of their respective divisions, they are the ones who could readily answer any questions posed by the city council or the public. The director should also be present since he oversees the overall policy and budgets of both divisions within the department of public safety.
In brief, the caucus can provide the council with a more disciplined approach which will help expedite the flow of information, improve time management and overall productivity.
Richard Tremitiedi