Wednesday, January 10, 2007 4:31 PM EST

Democracy gets stifled

Some recent meetings of the Orange City Council have tended to drag on, as many residents were present to express frustration about a variety of topics.

The public-comment period for non-agenda items occurs after regular business has been completed. With five minutes allotted for each speaker, a long list of speakers can force council members to waive their traditional 10 p.m. meeting curfew — something, we believe, few residents know exists.

Council members discussed these late hours at a special meeting Dec. 19. Ideas were presented to streamline the process while still allowing residents an ample opportunity to bring their grievances before the council.

However, one of the ideas adopted by the council will have the effect of limiting public comment by making it difficult to register for the upcoming public hearing.

Previously, potential speakers could register to speak on agenda items or general topics by entering their names in a sign-in book available at council meetings. That allowed residents an ability to speak, and it was convenient because they already would be at the meeting.

According to the new guidelines, access to the council would be severely limited. Potential speakers, if they wish to speak about topics not on the expected agenda, now have to visit the City Clerk’s Office prior to 3 p.m. the Friday before a Tuesday council meeting to sign a register book.

That guideline has the potential of curtailing residents’ access to our political leaders, access which our democracy guarantees. Since many residents work during the daytime, they would be required to make available some time, such as a lunch hour or break period, to visit the clerk’s office and register. Residents should not have to jump through hoops to have their grievances addressed.

The city clerk noted that having residents appear in his office could allow matters to be resolved during the visit. Someone with a health issue, for example, might be sent to the Health Department’s office; a neighbor with an illegal-construction complaint could be sent to the Planning Department.

This is true. But the new system is inconvenient, at best. Residents of Orange have the right to speak to their elected officials regardless of how long the meetings last. Making it difficult to do that is anathema to our democratic ways. The old method may have had its flaws, but it represents the truest form of democracy in action.

Let’s go back to the sign-in book at the meetings.