Saturday Morning Coming Down

Is this board meeting open to the public?

Ricky Allen

These guys really do their best to hide from the public.

Staff’s day off? That must have been a county employee who posted that. Hiding? Most people work during the week so Saturday is a good day to provide the most opportunity for people to come. And I think the reporter just said “Yes, the meeting is open to the public.”

We can only guess how many Stafford citizens, after a long week at the office, are going to set their Saturday alarms for the early AM so they can attend the BOS scheduled meeting of January 8, 2011.

Besides, why would the BOS schedule a Saturday, 8am meeting at another location, outside the County’s BOS jurisdiction and not in the PUBLIC FORUM Stafford County citizens paid for, so as to access their elected officials, on equal footing, and televised for ALL to see?

Who are these elected officials working for, since it is apparent they don’t work with or for their citizen population within the framework of County business hours.

Let’s hope Jonas brings his camera man to this meeting, along with his computer to take copius notes on what the BOS think about THEIR Comp Plan, and which part of the PLAN they intend to put into effect in FY 2011 and 2012 with taxpayer money.

Do the Stafford County BOS ever intend to include the PUBLIC, and refrain from their strategies to EXCLUDE the public from being empowered to make informed decisions about what serves in the best interest of the BOS’ constituents?

Besides minutes, does the BOS intend to post/ publish their Saturday agenda on the County’s WEBSITE….BEFORE this meeting takes place? OR, just how far away does the Stafford County BOS intend to go to put the public further at arms length than they already are?

I’ll let YOU be the judge. While the BOS scheduled January 4, 2011 meeting and agenda was POSTED on their website, under line item 15 of their meeting agenda “Comprehensive Plan – Urban Development Area Planning Process”, the only thing posted or published by the BOS was a message that reads “Comprehensive Plan – Urban Development Area Planning Process MATERIALS will be provided at the meeting.”

Simply said, why aren’t these MATERIALS not only made available to the BOS but the PUBLIC as well, or does OLIGARCHY best sum up what the BOS’ intentions and best business practices amount to.

If there is a PROCESS, within the framework of DUE PROCESS, why has the County’s elected officials chose to ignore the public all together.

I for ONE would liked to have had these MATERIAL in hand, before the meeting of January 4, 2011, so I could measure the the PROCESS and where our elected officials might be taking us without details, or even acknowledgement that County growth can not happen or proceed in a vacuum of the BOS, and their special interest’s making.

Saturday scheduled meetings at the break of dawn is not the answer for public involvement . It speaks only to less involvement in the business of its people. At best, Saturday meetings can only rise to the level of a BY-Law without ETHICS ever being part of the conversation with your elected officials.

At this juncture WE can only ASSUME what goes on behind closed doors.Please recall that reasonable minds, within the OLIGARCHY membership were brought to the conclusion the Comp Plan remains seriiously flawed, if, for no other reason, the public’s best interest was never included in the BOS’ growth strategy.

Saturday 8am meetings