(54th in a series of posts on parking)
We left Gadfly last post thunderstruck in his seat at the Bethlehem Parking Authority Board meeting on Wednesday October 24.
Well, Gadfly didn’t stay thunderstruck long. As soon as “meeting adjourned” was sounded, Gadfly leapt into the dissolving crowd to ask if no one was surprised that the response to the Council letter was not discussed. (That would have been interesting, not the Wayfaring decision. That’s why I paid big money for the ringside seats.) Nobody seemed to be.
(Well, “leapt” might not be quite the exact verb – companion Breena might have a more accurate suggestion. All I can say is that it felt like a leap from inside Gadfly’s senior frame.)
The Solicitor jumped (verbally leapt!) right in with a stop sign to say we don’t have to talk about that, you had your time during Courtesy of the Floor. Nice.
(Dana: you pointed out that the Solicitor is not a member of the Board. Yes. But I guess I would say that from the two meetings I have attended, he sure is an active presence. I don’t think I have seen Council Solicitor Spirk speak unless spoken to in all the months I’ve attended Council.)
But the Board chairperson did say, “it’s being taken care of.”
Ahhh, but by whom? and when? and where? There’s the price of admission again.
Gadfly is always trying to find out who’s responsible for things. How can you tell who to pat on the back or who to kick in the pants unless you know that?
But Gadfly is destined not to find out.
No doubt such internal discussion is considered “administrative action” under Sunshine Law (by the Solicitor) and thus not subject to the law’s visibility requirements.
(There’s a link to Sunshine Law/Right to Know on the Gadfly sidebar. Gadflies-in-training take note.)
Sigh. So sad. Thank god, the Zoning meeting that followed in Town Hall was interesting. Saved the day. Mrs. Gadfly always likes to hear something worthwhile when I get home. She calls what I do “gadflitting.”
So if the Council response is “being taken care of,” Gadfly wonders by whom – the Executive Director? the Exec and Solicitor? the Exec, Solicitor, and the Board Chair? what role will Desman play? a sub-committee of the Board? the full Board?
It’s about responsibility.
Gadfly would like to feel that resident appointees on the Board are fully, fully, and critically, critically involved.
And that resident appointees will have full knowledge of and input into the response to Council.
And was hoping for evidence that will be the case.
Did anyone ask anything or comment during their public comment period at the beginning?
The solicitor has way too much control of the BPA vs the Board. Not to mention that he is also the head of the BRIA Board controlling CRIZ designation. Virtually every CRIZ project in some way impacts the BPA. Therefore he should either resign from the solicitor position or not be reappointed to the BRIA Board. This is part of the Bethlehem SWAMP where the same boards & commissions are filled with conflicted people.