Pueblog USa
Friday, April 11, 2008
What the City calls a public forum is not a public forum
There is no dialog with the public at a City Council meeting
Testimony to Pueblo City Council
Public Forum, April 7, 2008
Pueblo City Council Members,
My name is Ted Freeman. My topic is “the Public Forum.” Let me start by defining what a Public Forum is, According to Webster’s dictionary the definition of forum is a meeting of people to discuss public matters, problems,….etc. The important words in the definition are to discuss.
Public Forum: In order to make the best use of your time, let’s be honest, the Public Forum is not a public forum at all. There is not a give-and-take exchange between the citizens’ addressing the council because the council does not permit it.
There are no questions answered, only questions asked. I can only imagine what the creators of Democracy dating back to the Greeks, with there public exchange meetings that lasted days and weeks, not minutes or hours, must have thought about the “sham” of the Pueblo City Council’s notions of a Public Forum.
There was some irony in Councilman Ray Aguilera comments in the Chieftain (4-3-08) calling for a Public Forum of the Southern Delivery System. He said, “It’s a way for the federal government to avoid answering questions.” In other words, the same thing this council does with its Public Forum, not answer citizens’ questions. This council needs to pay closer attention to its own back yard before pointing its figure at other governmental bodies.