Should SJ reconsider allowing virtual public comments at City Council?
Bernardo Bellotto: Ruins of the Forum, Rome, 1743. Public domain
In the Gilroy Dispatch, Mayor Marie Blankley breaks down the adverse consequences the Garlic Capital has seen in the past two years from “hybrid” council meetings. In contrast to in-person and written public comments, virtual Zoom comments tend to attract out-of-town activists, who muddy issues by creating the illusion of constituent alignment. Some wonder if Bay Area cities should rethink what is permissible Council meeting participation.
Council meetings may be watched in-person or remotely via live stream, and they are recorded for viewing anytime. Anyone wishing to participate in council meetings by commenting on agenda items or on items not on the agenda may do so in two ways:
1. By speaking in-person at a council meeting within the maximum three-minute time limit per person, reduced to two or even one minute each, depending on the number of speakers.
2. By sending written comment to the City Clerk.
No matter work schedules, family life, mobility/health issues, etc., all who choose to provide comment may do so already in one way or another, and both become part of the public record either through video or inclusion in the written agenda packet. Providing written comment in advance of city council meetings is as easy as emailing the City Clerk at cityclerk@cityofgilroy.org, using regular mail, or by having someone hand deliver to City Hall during business hours.
Our recent experience with Covid and virtual meetings showed us what can happen at council meetings when virtual participation (hybrid meetings) can come from outside our jurisdiction and in large numbers. For example, we had nearly two hours of public comment from people outside of Gilroy (many out of state), calling in to influence the Gilroy City Council regarding land use near Gilroy Gardens. On multiple occasions we had virtual participation from numerous members of political activist organizations outside of Gilroy professing to speak for Gilroy residents as to what should or should not be on our Gilroy City Council agenda.
This magnitude and frequency of outside public comment during council meetings that’s enabled by remote participation hinders the ability for comments from our own constituents to stand out and be differentiated from those with whom our allegiance does not belong. Since we cannot limit comments to our own local community members or force people to identify themselves, hybrid meetings are a convenient vehicle to muddle Gilroy City Council meetings with virtual comments that dilute the voices of our own community and foster a false appearance of constituent support.
This article originally appeared in the Gilroy Dispatch. Read the whole thing here.
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