The agenda announcement for the Tuesday, July 13 Greensboro City Council meeting once again states that the meeting will be open to some residents.
However, before you put it on your calendar, you should be aware that the agenda announcement for the June 15 Greensboro City Council meeting also stated that ordinary residents of Greensboro who did not work for the City of Greensboro would be allowed to attend the meeting.
Later the agenda for the June 15 meeting was revised to exclude anyone but city councilmembers, city staff and one journalist.
So at this point it might be best to pencil it in on your calendar.
The last time the City Council held a meeting that was actually open to the public was March 2020.
The agenda announcement for the July 13 meeting makes it clear that this meeting is not actually open to the public. The announcement states, “A limited number of residents will be allowed inside the Council Chamber. Residents will be allowed inside specifically for their agenda item and must exit after the item is discussed or voted on, allowing others to enter under the limited capacity model. Masks will be required for all attendees.”
The mask requirement is interesting since the City Council and senior city staff did not wear masks even on June 15 when masks were required in all city-owned facilities. Perhaps that should read: Masks will be required for all attendees who are not members of the City Council or senior city staff.
Although people wishing to speak to the City Council about an agenda item or during the public comment period will be allowed to enter the council chamber and speak, they are also encouraged not to do so.
The announcement states, “Residents who wish to participate in the meeting are encouraged to do so virtually.”
Also those who wish to speak at the meeting are required to sign up by 5 p.m. Monday, July 12 at virtualcomment@greensboro-nc.gov.
It is also worth noting that because the agendas for City Council meetings are amended regularly and right up until the time of the meeting, it is a good idea to check for the latest agenda before making plans. The final agenda for the June 15 meeting was sent out at 4:38 p.m. – less than an hour before the meeting started at 5:30 p.m.
It is sad and reprehensible that Mandate Mayor and her cabal continue to disenfranchise folks who don’t have Internet access by denying their ability to publicly address council meetings. For such champions of the people it shows how they are in office to only serve the oligarchy and status quo of haves and have nots. Elections cannot happen soon enough.
If I were to personally give them my 2c: I feel that I would be ignored, or sharply queried beyond my ability to respond.
An agenda requires thought and planning–Don’t expect too much.