Good for Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans (in photo) for wanting to add accountability to executive sessions. Mayans suggested at a council meeting earlier this month that the council audiotape its executive sessions, which are closed to the public. Then, if there is a dispute about whether the council violated the state’s open meetings law, a judge could listen to the portion of the session in dispute and make a decision.
The same proposal was considered as a law change by the Legislature last session, but it didn’t advance, in part because of opposition by school districts and county governments. But as council member Paul Gray noted, taping meetings can protect both open government and council or board members, who may be wrongly accused of violating the law or of saying something that they didn’t say.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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12 Comments
Now that the Mayor is beginning his re-election effort, he wants to have more open government? What a laugher.
All of these meeting should be recorded somehow. You have to allow review of the activities. Besides, what are they trying to hide? Why are they against being ‘on the record’?
The answer is obvious.
The Beagle need to publish the campaign contribution records of all the people running for local offices before the next election — let’s see who’s beholden to who — I don’t think we’ll be surprised. I wonder who supported Ben Sciotino in his election bids over the years ….
I thought that the media was supposed to monitor the actions of the local government
Now that November partisan political elections are over, activity will begin immediately leading up to the non-partisan primary and general elections in February (or March?) and April respectively.
Non-partisan elections are those in which no political labels are displayed by candidates’ names on ballots. Even so, Democrats and Republicans can and probably will be supporting their candidates behind the scenes. In some cases, non-partisan support groups spring up to support their candidates.
In the case of the City, the mayor is up for election and I suspect at least three of the six city council people. Does anyone know?
Regarding the USD 259 school board, I believe four of the seven board members will be up for election.
If the City Council really wanted to open up city council meetings for participation by Wichita citizens, they would hold city council meetings on Tuesday afternoon/evening, say beginning about 6 PM. Now city council meetings are “safely” hidden away from the public on Tuesday mornings when most people are working. JWink
dignus makes a point that everyone here should consider. In a lot of places, the newspapers quote unnamed sources, which then creates public debate. A great New York Herald reporter, whose name escapes me, called this “fifth floor” journalism. It means not doing an amateur job of only quoting official spokespersons or reading press releases, it means talking to all kinds of people.
It’s hard work. It pisses off the powerful. It may cost a newspaper ad revenues. But it’s the reason for the First Amendment, which isn’t to protect newspapers’ profits, but to empower newspapers to inform the public, so that the experiment called America can exist.
Dingus: Could you find time to go to the Courthouse, gather the political contribution information and post the most significant here. It would be helpful to all of us bloggers who might like to comment on it.
In our corner of the world our elected officials hide behind closed doors in executive session, abusing the system. Executive sessions are used to keep the public in the dark concerning topics that should be discussed in open session. Taping the executive sessions would bring a halt to their illegal actions however there is always erasing……….what would be gained??Sue FrancisHarper County Kansas
Sue,I used to live there, and yeah, I’ve heard about some of the goings on in Harper Co. Taping sessions would only increase back-alley meetings and sneaky deals there. Harper Co. goverment need some serious housecleaning!
Sue: We are all in this together. Harper County is our beautiful county to the southwest. Unfortunately the politicians of both Harper and Sedgwick County chose to allow that Harper County landfill go in, in a bad location and with a bad liner. This will polute one of the few Kansas free flowing rivers, the Chikaskia River, flowing southwest of Wichita.
I remember as a boy fishing and camping along the Chikaskia River. It was rumored to start in a jumble of old wooden beer kegs near the back door of the fabled St. Leo Catholic Church hidden away south of Cunningham, Kansas. As a result, its water contained a slight taste of Budweiser to the fisherman along its banks.
Jerry
JWink – The Mayor is indeed up for re-election, as is Sue Schlapp and Paul Gray. Bob Martz is out because of term limits so there will be someone new representing west Wichita. I believe that City Councilman Carl Brewer will be running against Mayans.
I think taping executive sessions is essential to government accountability.
We have had the same exec session shenanegons as Harper County and worse.
It is especially bad here because the city attorney is also the county attorney and the attorney for two of the three local banks.
He doesnt help enforce the law, he helps them BREAK the law by endorsing illegal exec sessions and then covering up afterward.
He facilitates illegal communication by carrying messages, in person, to various city council members to create “agreement” before the city council meetings.
Worst of all? He runs unopposed in most elections because the other two lawyers in town have successful practices.
They dont NEED to feed at the taxpayer trough.
I also agree, that if they are doing nothing wrong and have nothing to hide, they should welcome the recordings.
Heheheheh. Ya. When pigs fly….