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Editorial
Public comment period should not be abused
Jack Lucas finds himself sitting in the limelight every time the Monte Sereno City Council convenes for a Tuesday night meeting. But that limelight was especially bright on April 16 when the mayor gathered the council for its regular session.
It's not that Mayor Lucas was casting any more attention on himself than usual--rather, it was the string of bright lights illuminated before him on the council dais that was the object of everyone's attention.
Monte Sereno, it seems, has installed a new system to limit the time allowed speakers during the public comment period at council meetings.
It's really nothing new; it's just new to Monte Sereno. The system has been employed in other councils for quite some time, including the town of Los Gatos. And the system has been in place for a while in the Monte Sereno chambers, but it was up and running for the first time at the April 16 meeting.
So Monte Sereno joined the colorful world of green, yellow and red lights just in time, appropriately enough, quipped Lucas, for the discussion of the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Winchester Boulevard and Daves Avenue.
But as good-natured as Lucas and the rest of the council members were about the introduction of the lights, it's disturbing to think that a small city like Monte Sereno needs to force such limits.
The problem is that there are those who will misuse the time set aside for the members of the public to present their views to their elected officials. And it's really a sad commentary to know that there are those who exploit the public comment period for their own interests.
For the most part, council members do a great service for the communities they serve and get little in return. They devote much of their time to the business of the city or town they represent.
When speakers rant on over every issue just to get attention or to further a personal agenda, they show little regard for the public officials or the other community members who turn out to discuss serious issues.
We are staunch supporters of the voice of the people. But voices should be reserved for a time when there is something pertinent to say.
Neighbors of the intersection at Winchester and Daves, where controversy has been brewing over a proposed traffic signal, need to be heard. So do the neighbors of the PG&E tower in Live Oak Manor Park, where additional antennae for cellular use have been proposed.
These issues, and others like them, are important and require serious discourse to enable council members to reach decisions that are in the best interest of the majority of the community. Detractors who spin off these issues to satisfy their egos only clog the process and exacerbate a situation in which serious people are attempting to deal with serious subjects. The real issues can get lost in the hyperbole.
So the lights are on in both Monte Sereno and Los Gatos now. If you have something worthwhile to say, please step forward and say it before the red light comes on. Otherwise ... sit down and be quiet.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
