Sedona Times reporter, Tommy Acosta
Sedona AZ (February 18, 2009) — Opinion by Sedona Times Tommy Acosta.
As predicted, four Sedona City Council members shot the Mayor’s Advisory Committees down out of the sky at their February 17, 2009 special meeting. It was no surprise and it was expected, with it being a matter of when, and not, if.
The opportunity for their action, which involved temporarily suspending rules governing reconsideration of items previously voted on, occurred when a member of the Economic Advisory Committee took it upon himself to alert the interim-city manager about inconsistencies in the city’s budget planning process. In his e-mails to the city, the member made suggestions on how to improve the budgetary process; the possible ramifications if his concerns are not addressed; and if the city or council would mind his making his findings public.
This opened the door for the ruling-council element to move forward to end the advisory committees, seen by some as an unacceptable extension of the mayor’s power and a waste of staff time and city money.
The meeting lasted more than two hours and saw impassioned pleas to allow the said committees to function until a slated review and work study session in March of 2009.
Citizens also spoke against the committees, demanding they be dissolved.
The point whether these committees would have lasted at all or ever had any affect on the deliberations of the council was never taken seriously by those who saw it simply as an exercise in futility because the current-council voting block would have simply trashed anything these committees recommend, so their demise was not unexpected.
However, what was interesting is the aggressive tone the council is taking towards citizen participation in city government.
Despite the impotency of committees that can only make recommendations to the mayor who in turn must make recommendations to the council which will vote him down anyway, these committees were called a “shadow government.”
Further adding fuel to the new order, citizens present at the meeting were in a roundabout way accused of attempting to influence council decisions through “mob rule” because most of those present regularly attend council meetings of major import to the community. Also, those present were told they do not represent the majority of Sedona citizens.
What was accomplished at the council by its majority at that meeting was a “one-two-three” punch combination that will knock out future-citizen participation or activism in the community.
Save for a few members of the press, from here on the council members will be facing an empty room because the hope citizens can affect change or have a say was dashed to the ground. The volunteers who tried to help will walk away with a bitter taste in their mouths. And the mayor’s influence will be effectively curtailed.
Stay tuned for a comprehensive report on the meeting itself and the public disclosure of the correspondence that led to the dissolution of the advisory committees.
For the best Sedona Arizona News and Views? Subscribe to SedonaEye.com.
