As many expected, the council chambers were packed last Tuesday with everyone from city employees to concerned citizens to interested onlookers. But, there actually wasn’t a specific time set aside for those who wanted to speak to do so.
According the Marlow mayor Don Graham, there is a good reason for that.
“The city council meets once a month to conduct the business of the city,” Graham said last week.
About a year ago, Mayor Graham removed a once permanent agenda item “Comments from Citizens” from the monthly council agenda. But, he doesn’t want residents to get the wrong idea.
“It’s not about closing off city hall, at all,” Graham explained. “It’s about handling the issues of our citizens when they need to be handled. The place for that is not during the monthly meeting of the council.”
Graham noted that the members of the city council, as well as city hall, are available to the citizens, and that issues should be brought to their attention outside of the monthly meetings to be better served.
“The meetings have a set agenda,” Graham said. “It’s not the best place for issues to be resolved. I speak for all of the council members when I say that there is an open-door policy. We want to hear from you. We want to help. My door is always open.”
More than 50 people crowded the council chambers on Feb. 23. Three wanted to speak to some of the issues that faced the city during the 12-day power outage that resulted from the ice storm that covered the city on Jan. 28.
Debbie Willis was one of those citizens given the opportunity to address the council.
“I think that the city council should have a specific time allotted for citizens during each council meeting so that if anyone does have an issue they can come forth and not have to deal with city hall alone,” Willis said.
“Comments from Citizens” was near the beginning of the agenda, making it difficult to handle issues that were brought before the council.
“People would speak, but then there was an entire agenda of items to follow,” Graham said. “It wasn’t productive to the meeting or the citizens.
“Coming to the meeting does not constitute an open line to attack the council,” he added. “That doesn’t help anyone. (Council members) live here, too. We want the community to be the best it can be.”
After Willis spoke at the meeting, she was directed to bring her issues to Graham.
“I was told I could present an agenda of things to be discussed at the next council meeting, and to give them to Don Graham, and we would work from there on getting them on the next agenda,” Willis said. “I think that is fair.”
Whether there is a chance for people to speak or not, it doesn’t change the fact that a regular council meeting may have as few as two people in the audience, making a “Comments” section a moot point.
It’s a point that Willis would like to see change.
“I still need to talk to more people and get more city of Marlow residents involved,” she said.
Graham realizes that not everyone may be happy with the outcome when an issue is handled by the city.
“I promise, though, that every issue will be addressed, and it will be handled in a professional manner.”