City Council meetings are open to the public, but citizens do not have the right to speak except at public hearings. Lake Oswego City Council, like most cities, has always had a Citizen Comment period at the beginning of their regular meetings to allow citizens direct access to their local government officials.
Not any more. I heard that the Council will be limiting citizen comments to just the first of the two meetings held each month. Why? Who's idea was this, and which Councilors approved of the change?
In 2013 the changes in the makeup of the City Council gave people the idea that their city government would be more open and responsive to citizens. For a while maybe it was. But for at least the last year, the mood has shifted. It is always challenging to get business done and at the same time cater to citizen demands. But the "optics" on this move are reprehensible.
Cutting the public out of public process is not a good move, especially for the mayor and councilors running for office this year.
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