According to NOLA.com, Parish Councilman Stefancik has formed a committee to study the issue of time allotment for public input, stressing that there must be structure to the meetings. Presented as a concession to the public, Stefancik’s ending statement that the public is looking for “anything” to criticize kind of negates the gesture. Is a committee really necessary to reinforce this opinion?
It would seem more productive to form a committee to study the council’s inability to understand that while they are representatives of the public, they are also subject to the public’s criticism, as well as their praise. Or maybe form a committee to study conflicts of interest among council members and business and trade organizations, or relationships with parish contracts that are awarded. A committee to study the approval of developments that result in costly lawsuits between the parish and parish residents would be valuable. But, a committee to study rules that are already in place will surely add much needed insight to the issue of public input at meetings.
If the Parish Council continues to operate in a manner not consistent with keeping the public trust, a continuation of criticism is a reasonable expectation. If certain members of the Council continue to espouse negative sentiments toward the public, they will continue to be criticized.
It’s called “Accountability.”
