Sample Essay On Tempe City Council Meeting: A Critique

Generally, Tempe City Council meeting goes on smoothly. The Council members and participants all – except for few instances – follow agenda items closely. Throughout, Tempe City affairs are discussed in meeting without much interruptions or very lengthy comments or interventions by members or public members. The overall meeting organization, venue setup and commitment to agenda items are exemplary. Indeed, Tempe City regular meeting could be a model meeting for city council meeting across U.S. This discussion aims, hence, to highlight organizational as well as communication features noted in Tempe City Council regular meeting of March 19, 2015.
The meeting opens with conventional formalities of pledge of allegiance and invocation. This is performed particularly meticulously. One notable instance of meeting's opening is a story recounted by a member of a widow who keeps knocking a judge's door, one who has no fear of God or respect to people. This story is dwelled on repeatedly later in meeting – by an unscheduled public member – by knocking. In spite of being used, apparently, for demonstration purposes, persistent knocking appears a bit eerie as speaker continues to make her point. A slight sense of awkwardness is visible in some City Council members' uneasy response to speaker's knocking, mainly in bending over or simply closing eyes.
The meeting proceeds, later, smoothly and agenda items are announced, discussed or voted on. As meeting proceeds, notable – but conventional – features of a formal city council meeting emerge.
For example, under "Consent Agenda" all items are considered as group and enacted by single motion by city council unless an item is considered for separate consideration. As well, public members may remove public hearing items considered for separate consideration and, if wishing to speak on an issue concerning Tempe City Council government, should fill in a speaker's card at back of meeting room. Thus, meeting proceedings are structured in such a way such as to accommodate both City Council and public member participation. Notably, democratic participation is manifest in public members' capacity for removal of specific public hearing items for separate consideration, instants of which occur later in meeting.
Accordingly, Mayor asks if any public member wishes to have any public hearing item removed and requests everyone pays attention. Surveying attendance, he sees none, only to find a public member (not captured by camera) and asks if anyone else wishes to speak. The public member speaks (still not captured by camera) and commits a mistake by saying he wants to remove item 5.B.1 instead of 5.C.1. The mayor surveys attendance for approval of removal of items 5.B.4 and 5.C.1. Attendance starts electronic voting for all items except for items 5.B.4 and 5.C.1. The voting process is followed by a notable intervention from City Council member Lauren Kuby.
Kuby poses an inquiry about materials used in utilization of one-year State of Arizona contracts with Continental Flooring Company, Norcon Industries, Inc., Diversified Flooring Services, and Wholesale Floors LLC for purchase and installation of commercial floor coverings overseen by Public Works Department under "Awards of Bids / Contracts" item. An investor representative responds by saying a broad range of sustainable and recyclable products are used.
Interventions by Kolby Granville and David Shapira, both City Council members, represent notable features in meeting. Removed from public hearing, item 5.C.1. is discussed by both members from opposing points of view. Whereas for Granville cultural facilities should pay for naming rights and not doing so is a loss of a public revenue source, for Shapira art is an integral part of a community's culture and hence should not be subject to conventional commercial enterprise bylaws.
Again, one notable organizational feature of Tempe City Council meeting is how issues not discussed during public hearings and are not scheduled in agenda are organized. According to meeting proceedings, public members could speak on an issue concerning Tempe City Council government are required to fill in a speaker's card at back of meeting room.
Probably, one outstanding feature in meeting in question is a City Council member's, Granville's, communication style. Being apparently, one of youngest City Council members, Granville appears to adopt an informal tone and at some points becomes personal in his reference to shared experiences with some City Council members. In spite of meeting's overall relaxed ambience, Granville's side comments appear off point and at some points embarrassing, which is more accentuated later as he makes his own announcements later in meeting.

But, probably one most outstanding oddity in Tempe City Council meeting is an unscheduled public appearance member's intervention.

Given space for speaking, as a scheduled public appearance member fails to show up, "Ed", in a very casual fashion picks a very peculiar issue to speak out. But before discussing Ed's pick, a due reference should be made to mayor's recitation of rules for public appearance speakers:
According to the Arizona Open Meeting Law, the City Council may only discuss matters listed on this agenda.  Matters discussed by the public during public appearances cannot be discussed by the City Council unless they are specifically listed on this agenda. There is a three-minute time limit per speaker.  Speaker’s visual aids or recorded tapes are not allowed.   Members of the public shall refrain from making personal, impertinent or slanderous remarks and from becoming boisterous while addressing the City Council or while attending the meeting. Unauthorized remarks from the audience, clapping, stomping of feet, yelling or any similar demonstrations are also prohibited.  Violations of these rules may result in removal from the City Council meeting.
This is a well-detailed and informative reference to public speaking rule. If anything, Arizona's Law is observed closely in Tempe City Council meeting. However, Ed's intervention remains peculiarly unique.
Having introduced himself, Ed chooses to speak of all issues about laws organizing stray dog ownership. Indeed, as he starts in earnest to dwell on his issue, smiles are shown on audience faces and not least City Council members. Hardly restrained, Mayor drops a comment which externalizes suppressed laughter. Once Mayor's remark is made, most City Council members fidgeted in seats in response and seemed half standing as Ed's point seemed at best a funny closing to what has been, apparently, a serious meeting. Time up, Ed continued to share his thoughts as City Council members and audience started to stand up to leave.
The City Council meeting opens with a due formality of pledge of allegiance. Next, for about 150 seconds, a city council member cites reason for meeting and starts recounting a story about a widow who keeps knocking a judge's door, one who has no fear of God or respect to people. Then, she urges for justice in a very rhetorical language, referring to issues of public justice, violence, rich-poor divide, land abuse and endangered animals. The council moves on to approve meeting minutes. This is followed by Mark Mitchell's, Mayor's, announcement of 2015 Bike Hero award Recipients as well as Bike Month Proclamation. No City Manager announcements are made.
The meeting proceeds according to scheduled agenda. Three interventions, however, occur by members Lauren Kuby, Kolby Granville and David Shapira about specific items singled out by public members for separate consideration. Afterwards, meeting proceeds again as scheduled and concludes with an unscheduled public appearance.
Announcements are made about different activities including 2015 Bike Hero Award Recipients, Bike Month Proclamation, a set of awards of bids and/or contracts for a number of contractors to supply public work services for Tempe City of which most notable, because singled out for separate consideration contracts with Continental Flooring Company, Norcon Industries, Inc., Diversified Flooring Services, and Wholesale Floors LLC for the purchase and installation of commercial floor coverings overseen by the Public Works Department.