CC Min 1998-06-22 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

'. . . . . - those meetings had no closed session before the meeting. It just perplexes me that at a time when in fact, the number of Executive Sessions are decreasing, at a time when that - statement of fact was simply not true, a press release is issued on such a serious matter. You issued a press release, and I think I am entitled to bring it up and question it at a Council Meeting, and I have done so. I don't wish to further put you on the spot, you have told me you are not prepared to discuss the matter, and I accept that." Council Member Leipzig said, "I asked the City Manager when I saw the Agenda, I actually called him on Friday, he wasn't in. He got back to me today, and I asked how this was put on, and what was the purpose, and what was going to be happening, and he was not aware of that. If I had known Council Member Hartnett, I would have been prepared to have a little more dialogue with you. My percentages, you are absolutely correct. I looked at the wrong list prepared by the City Clerk. The first one I asked for several weeks ago actually does show an 80-90% closed session before regular meetings, and I apologize that I didn't put in the word regular. We get into this here often, regular Council Meeting, meaning us right up here, not in study session with the Planning Commission, not in Interview Sessions for members of the Park and Rec Commission, not a session to talk about personnel issues, but a regular Council session. So I stand by my percentages." Council Member Claire said, "The issue here is the fact that we have had one Council Member disagree with the way certain meetings are run, and in the short time period that I have been on the Council, this is a first, where a Council Member issues a press release, accusing his colleagues of being in violation of anything. I would have expected this to - come forward to us under this agenda, under Matters of Council Interest, so that we as a Council as a whole could take it up and adequately address the problem. Issuing press releases before we have been given the courtesy of addressing it and before we even know what it is about, simply has not been done on this Council since I've been watching it... in 1978. I think that is the real issue. It is a protocol issue. I think a Council Member has the duty to the rest of his colleagues or her colleagues to discuss an issue like that at an open forum during Matters of Council Interest. That protocol was not followed and I think that is the real issue here tonight." Vice Mayor Ruskin said, "I feel a bit awkward because people who are here this evening who are perhaps not often here, might think this goes on all the time here. But this is quite rare in the sense of criticizing remarks made by fellow Council Members, and it grieves me to have to do it, especially twice in one evening, after not having had to do it essentially for two and a half years.... I was really upset by this press release. I think for an elected official there is nothing more important than your integrity and the perception of your integrity. And to have one's integrity questioned so broadly in this way was shocking to me. It is really important to me, and I assume to every member of the Council, that we conform to every law, especially the Brown Act... Our Attorney has assured us that we are conforming properly to the Brown Act, and I have faith in his understanding of the law. I want to assure the public that the Brown Act has not been violated. Our Attorney has assured us of that and I believe that he is correct.... There are - several things about Council Member Leipzig's press release that troubles me, but I am REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 JUNE 22,1998 MINUTES Page No. 583 PAGE 21