"I have long been of the view that an outgoing council should not be setting the reorg agenda for an incoming council, that should be the responsibility of the Clerk working with the administration. As such, we opted not to submit agenda items for an outgoing council to decide what should or should not be on the reorg agenda, it doesn't make sense. In the same way that the Clerk is responsible for presiding at the beginning of the reorg meeting, the Clerk should be the one responsible for the reorg agenda."
(The two outgoing council members are Citywide at-large Councilwoman Tracey Brown and Third Ward Councilwoman Gloria Taylor. In a larger context, Brown and Taylor along with Fourth Ward Councilwoman Bridget Rivers and First Ward Councilwoman Diane Toliver currently constitute a majority that will shift in January to one more favorable to the mayor.)
The first step is to set a date for the reorganization. The second step is to swear in the new members. So what is the big deal? It is the Council that is reorganizing, not the Administration, so wouldn't it be better to solicit commentary from a Councilperson or at least the Council President? Who runs the Council? Its members or the Mayor? This is just silly. Typical, but silly. If more stuff needs to be done, like rewarding the usual cast of characters with professional service contracts, do it at the first meeting after the Council reorganization.
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