Time for Town Hall Meetings

It occurred to me at the December 17th Lake Forest City Council meeting that, while information is in abudance, intellectual exchange is non-existent.  Everything is one way, the Council presents to the audience, the audience, if they desire, present to the Council, but there is no discussion, topics may or may not be related to each other.  I had attended a portion of the OC Board of Supervisors meeting earlier in the day, and the same can be said for that meeting.  Unless one has been called to speak to the Board or the Council, there is no exchange of thoughts or ideas. 

These meetings may be required by law or precedent to be held, but the rules are so strict that they become sterile, and, in many cases, they are nothing more than platforms provided for political pontification.  Public speakers are severely limited and cannot be questioned.  Although, in Lake Forest it is not uncommon to have a member of the Council challenge a view point, in violation of their rules.  However, when this happens, the rebuttal cannot be refuted, and misinformation is given out.

What would be helpful would be a town hall setting, where the public, such as Dr. Gardner and other frequent speakers at City Council, can actually interface with elected officials.  Usually, in town halls, the public may question elected officials, perhaps even prominent staff members such as city managers, and the public, in turn, can be asked to expand on their comments or perhaps even justify some remarks.

This would be so much more productive than the current method.  Public council meetings are a necessity, but so is interaction with citizens.  Granted, occassionally a town hall style meeting is held during an election year, when candidates will interact with the public, but we need to have the opportunity to quesiton elected officials, and get answers without them being vetted through a staff, hired by them.

Yes, if a Town Hall is added to the calendar, it would require an additional meeting by elected officials and some of the city staff, but it would result in better government.