On Jan. 10, Councilman Adrian Mapp questioned vendor Brian Cox about what happens to the tapes he makes of the meetings. I thought it was somewhat unusual to have Cox step out from behind the camera to answer questions, but I did not really understand the issue, as I seldom watch television.
Cox said he meets with IT Director Chris Payne and consultant Parris Z. Moore and that they have hardware that speeds up the tape. He said he takes the tapes to Payne and that he is using his own camera to make the tapes.
"Is the end product a DVD?" Mapp asked.
Cox said it is a mini-DVD.
Mapp said the clerk must have an unedited copy of the entire meeting and Council President Annie McWilliams reiterated the same point. She said if a member of the public comes to the clerk's office the next day, they should be able to get a copy.
Given that this exchange took place at nearly 12:30 a.m. for a meeting that was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., and that many other issues had come up during the meeting, I thought it was worth noting even if I didn't have any context.
So last night I happened to turn on the television in time to see the reception for retiring City Clerk Laddie Wyatt. It was interesting to hear what people had to say, especially John Campbell's anecdote about Laddie and the late Mayor Everett C. Lattimore. Later I turned the television on and saw that the annual reorganization, which I missed due to being ill, was on. I watched up until public comment was announced, whereupon the show cut off and after a few seconds, the Jan. 10 meeting, already in progress, appeared on the screen. That meeting also got cut off midway.
It was enough of a fluke and, frankly, a disappointment that I wrote an e-mail to the chairman of the Plainfield Cable Television Advisory Board voicing my feelings.
So this morning I get a blog comment from a reader asking whether shows are edited.
Something is going on and it is of enough concern to have both residents and citizens wondering about it. In the past, there has been talk for the need to have "gavel-to-gavel" coverage of these meetings to satisfy the public's right to know what happens. Obviously, meetings that run to five hours are hard to squeeze into a programming grid. But there is definitely a need for a recording of the entire meeting to be available to the public, now that the precedent of taping the meetings has been set.
The issue of the public's right to know also came up peripherally when Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs asked in December for Cox to turn off the camera while she spoke. Immediate objections came from the governing body and perhaps people began wondering then what actually turned up on the TV screen.
As I said, seeing only a chunk of a meeting was disappointing to me. A council meeting is an episode of public discourse, warts and all, and cannot be edited for any reason. A viewer should see what an attendee saw. This needs to be an item of discussion in 2011, a discussion that should involve the PCTVAB, the paid vendors and consultants, the IT director who is also in charge of media, the administration, the governing body and any citizens who are interested.
The related question of the council schedule may have been settled by the governing body's adoption of the once-a-month regular meeting schedule, which just about guarantees these meetings will run to four or five hours. This is a deterrent both to attendance and to viewing recordings of the meetings. I was able to see Dr. Yood pleading once again on Jan. 3 for a return to the old schedule, but it is unlikely to happen.
Do you try to attend council meetings? Do you try to watch them on TV? Or do you rely on media reports of the main issues that come out of them? Comments are welcome.
--Bernice Paglia
What interests me is the council's insistence on what was done so the late un-lamented Jenny could attend meetings as a council member in Rahway. Jenny's convenience was the reason for the shift from four to two meetings. And it was interesting to see all those grandiose Rahway plans fall flat. I don't finish any city ill, but there was a lot of bragging going on.
ReplyDeleteBernice,
ReplyDeleteFor those who may not have been present, I voted "no" on the current council meeting schedule (as did Councilman Mapp)--maybe the taped record will reflect that, maybe not. I was told that we could revisit and amend the schedule, though.
Regarding the taping, yes, it is supposed to be "gavel to gavel"--I am troubled by how the taping is going, along with the gaps in the record. As one of the council liaisons to the cable advisory board, I will be bringing up this issue.
"Rebecca"
Regarding Pat Turner Kavanaugh's comment, Plaintalker brought out that reason in a 2006 post. You can see it at:
ReplyDeletehttp://plaintalker.blogspot.com/2006/02/council-meeting-schedule-may-change.html
Bob, your comment contains an allegation that may be libelous. Can you please rephrase and resubmit?
ReplyDeleteI try to attend the council meetings. I cannot even think about what it is like watching it on TV. The meetings are run well, and are very interesting, and it is a shame that more people don't participate for whatever timeframe they can.
ReplyDeleteBernice. I do not even attempt to watch the Council meetings on the TV for the same reason that I dislike the present schedule; too long and designed for the public to lose interest. Until the present format is changed so that the public can attend and participate the Council has no regard for the public. Knowing that tapes or DVDs can be edited and the lack of minutes of Council meetings we have no trustworthy recallable information. I do not believe that is by design but rather indifference.
ReplyDeleteHow about a recap for the uninformed ? Is there a copy of what they want to talk/vote on for public display in the library a day or two before [for those poor souls among us who still have to work] and then the results as notes/minutes for public inspection there or on the web? Everyone seemed to know when the Lost episodes were on, wouldn't the same be helpful for out gov't ?? { No pun ... okay yes a pun intended }
ReplyDeleteThe council agenda is usually posted in advance of the meeting on the city web site. However, as dedicated council watchers, reporters and bloggers know, the listings do not tell the whole story. The council packet with the full text of resolutions and ordinances is usually at the library on the Saturday before the meeting. You have to hand over your library card or a credit card while you look at it. Of course, you have to know how to understad what you are looking at, i.i., what is the context, which is where a reporter or informed blogger or citizen might come in.
ReplyDeleteThe minutes are way behind and even when you get them they are not verbatim. They cannot be verbatim - that would be a transcript, which is very costly. You can listen to tapes of meetings in the clerk's office.
One question is whether you can get a copy of audio or video recordings. To me, it is double work to have that if you already attended and took notes, so I seldom have listened to tapes except when I missed something.
I can't imagine anyone wanting to review on tape a five-hour meeting. A lot of it is perfunctory.
For a while, attending night meetings was looked on askance by newspaper editors and maybe still is, but reporters know the value of being a witness when something newsworthy happens at a meeting. Sometimes big news comes out that isn't even on the agenda.
Hope this helps.