Scripted Kent Meetings Limit Public Involvement

Dear Editor:

I am a subscriber and regular reader, a resident of the Town of Kent, and a founding member of Kent Fiscal Watch.

I read with interest and sad amusement Ms. Panny’s article in the July 15th edition about the Kent Town Board in which she quotes Supervisor Doherty lamenting the lack of public attendance at the workshops and meetings. It is precisely due to Ms. Doherty’s policies that the meetings are no longer attended.

(1) She has effectively removed the ability of public participation with her own rules that delay public comments on agenda items until they have no impact on the Board members (purportedly there to represent us) and comment is strictly limited to agenda items.

(2) Citizens are not permitted to establish agenda items.

(3) The meetings are scripted in advance, meaning that the method of developing the script (prior agreement) is in violation of the Open Meetings Law of NY State.

(4) The meetings are conducted in legalese rather than spoken English... the Town Attorney and other highly compensated individuals are always present to answer any questions that may arise on the rare occasions of the workshops.

(5) The workshops are supposed to be the crucible for regulations that follow in the meetings... in other words, where matters are developed for a final vote. Ms. Doherty has removed the cameras from these workshops so that any public broadcast will be free of disagreement, giving her and her team the appearance of a “professional” demeanor. Apparently the Team Doherty pols don’t know that democracy is messy.

(6) Since 2009 or earlier, when a contract was confirmed with Verizon, our town has had the franchised right to a public TV channel for FIOS customers (like Channel 8 on Comcast) for which this Supervisor has refused to take the appropriate actions, leaving FIOS customers without a public access voice and under-informed.

The only remedy to this silencing of dissent would be term limits. This is a discussion we have yet to have, as it will never make it unto the agenda of the Town Board. For those who wish to discuss it, come to a Kent Fiscal Watch meeting (Thursday, July 22nd, 8pm at the Lake Carmel Community Center) or submit your opinions to our website, kentfiscalwatch.org.

Joyce Mitchell Kent