Picking up one effort from her predecessor, Selectman Kathleen Corbet is calling for New Canaan’s highest elected official to allow the public to address whatever matters the wish at Board of Selectmen meetings, rather than to be limited to the items on the agenda he sets.
During the Aug. 18 selectmen meeting, Corbet noted that one standing agenda item for the Board is “General Matters,” which itself should allow the meeting visitors to broach whatever topics they wish.
“If any individual wants to do so, there is a process in place, and it is a ‘General Matter,’ it’s on the agenda,” Corbet said at the meeting, held via videoconference.
“We should allow that and encourage that because it is an agenda item,” she said.
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said he disagreed. The item was only added to the agenda for Selectman Kit Devereaux “so that she would have more opportunity to ask questions and discussion by the selectmen,” he said.
“It was not intended to broaden the scope of public comment,” he said. “I think public the comments are very much in the media and emails to me and to you and so I just personally don’t want to go down road of having a session of people speaking.”
Selectman Kit Devereaux had broached the subject at her final Board meeting earlier this month, before moving out-of-state. Corbet, a fellow Democrat, is filling out her unexpired term.
Moynihan noted that people rarely participate in the public comment period of Board meetings as it is. Selectman Nick Williams agreed, adding, “Kevin, I think you are right, the comments they tend to be on Facebook … or emails.”
“I don’t see this as a big problem,” Williams said. “Certainly I understand your concerns, but I don’t see it as a big issue, honestly.”
Corbet said, “It’s good governance, Kevin, and we don’t govern from Facebook or social media or what have you. We govern through these meetings you chair and they are fine and you have raised some great issues at the end and everybody is well informed when you address these general matters.”
She referred to updates from Moynihan during the General Matters portion of the agenda on COVID-19 numbers and the town’s emergency outcall system.
“I think it’s just a good best practice of any board to have ‘General Matters,’ “ she said. “There are always going to be items which perhaps didn’t make it to the agenda which are worthy of perhaps a raise just like you did … General matters should be raised, and I think an opportunity for people to raise questions—as you say, you don’t get very many, I’ve only attended a couple of these meetings—but I don’t know that you get very many public moments during this phase of the conversation. But they are certainly welcome, I don’t think we can discourage them if anyone did have any comments. I don’t think we would forbid them.”
Kathleen is absolutely right. What is a “public meeting” if the public can’t attend and ask questions of their representatives. A process could be put in place that requires those who want to address the Board to sign in and state the nature of their comment, and to limit comments to five minutes. Governing by Twitter is not an acceptable substitute.