Council Q&A

[Tully Mars]

First of all please allow me to apologize. I did not realize at the time that the "public" forum for council issues was restricted to required mod review of posts. I can assure you that no conspiracy is in place. It was simply a lack of knowledge on my part and I would not have posted the statement there if I had known that such restrictions were in place.

With all of that being said, I want to open this discussion specifically for a question and answer session with the council. Now, I will tell all of you up front that we may not yet have answers to all of your questions immediately but will provide you with the best answers that we have at the time. Secondly, I would ask that everyone please make an effort to stay on topic with this. Mods, I am depending on you to help keep everyone on topic.

The other thing that I would like to say is that it amazes me how some folks have become somewhat antagonistic against the council before we have even had a chance to really deal with any broad forum issues. I, and the other council meetings know many of you personally and consider you to be friends. So, in the interest of those friendships I would ask that everyone, general membership and council alike, keep the discussions in this thread very civil in tone and nature.

[amanda]

I'll go first. What is the current position of the council regarding its membership? 1. Does the council feel that new members are warranted? 2. If so, how many new members does the council feel are needed? 3. How will these members be selected?

Thanks for this forum and thanks for your time.


Doc - read the Council Discussion Thread. He outlines that they are still talking about it and will advise a later date.

[58ford]

I'll go first. What is the current position of the council regarding its membership? 1. Does the council feel that new members are warranted? 2. If so, how many new members does the council feel are needed? 3. How will these members be selected?

Thanks for this forum and thanks for your time.
I'm not on the council, so I don't know what goes on in there, but I don't see why more than seven would be necessary unless the forums grew vastly more diversified.

[SoMissTV]

This council has patterned itself after the city council form of government. City council meetings are open to the public, but the council discussions here are not. Why the disconnect?

How should members hold the individual council members accountable for actions or positions taken when it comes time for re-election if we cannot be witness to the council meetings?

What is the council's view of the fourth estate, and how will the council work with forum members who choose to view this council with the same healthy skepticism with which we view other elected government?

[Fish-Bait]

This council has patterned itself after the city council form of government. City council meetings are open to the public, but the council discussions here are not. Why the disconnect?

How should members hold the individual council members accountable for actions or positions taken when it comes time for re-election if we cannot be witness to the council meetings?

What is the council's view of the fourth estate, and how will the council work with forum members who choose to view this council with the same healthy skepticism with which we view other elected government?
Keep on and they are gonna raise your sewer rates...teehee......j/k.
those are some good questions.:)

[TheKing]

i have a question...

who cares?

[58ford]

IMHO unless they really start messing the forum up, I'm really not that concerned about what goes on in the council. I do however get the Idea that some people (who will remain unnamed) want more members on the council because they are a little miffed that they aren't on it.
Well, out of 2000+ members 1993+ of us aren't on the council, just enjoy the boards, there's plenty of fun, angst, games, political sniping, news, trivia, advice, & spiritual sharing to go around for everybody!

[EricStratton]

Anybody seen my keys?

[wilebill]

I'll answer some of those questions.

First, we're not patterned exactly like a city council. There are also some elements of a corp.'s BOD since there is an "owner" involved. Also, an on-line "council" faces a lot of different issues than one who meets in the same room face to face, and we're still trying to cope with that.

[58ford]

I bet the meetings move really slow cause everybody can't be on line @ the same time.

[dollfus46]

I'm not on the council, so I don't know what goes on in there, but I don't see why more than seven would be necessary unless the forums grew vastly more diversified.

I'm with you 58. We elected 7 good'uns. There's such a thing as too many fingers in the pie.

[PathFinder]

What is the council's view of the fourth estate, and how will the council work with forum members who choose to view this council with the same healthy skepticism with which we view other elected government?

Sorry if I'm a little slow...I also apologize if this has been discussed in another thread, but exactly WTF is the 4th estate???

[amanda]

Sorry if I'm a little slow...I also apologize if this has been discussed in another thread, but exactly WTF is the 4th estate???


You are not slow. If you are, so am I. Further, I don't believe it has been mentioned anywhere else.

[amanda]

The Press or the peoples right to Know -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Estate


Thanks Hawkeye. Figured someone would let us in on it, didn't even dawn on me to google. :) I just thought it was some strange BS that SoMissTV came up with on his own. :smt118

[PathFinder]

The Press or the peoples right to Know -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Estate

Thanks Hawk, but do you have another source?? As we've heard in another thread wiki posts are not good sources of information. So I'm gonna call :bs::smt118

[58ford]

This council has patterned itself after the city council form of government. City council meetings are open to the public, but the council discussions here are not. Why the disconnect?

How should members hold the individual council members accountable for actions or positions taken when it comes time for re-election if we cannot be witness to the council meetings?

What is the council's view of the fourth estate, and how will the council work with forum members who choose to view this council with the same healthy skepticism with which we view other elected government?
SoMiss,
Do you think that the council is some kind of Star Chamber Machiavellian Cabal designed with the intent of wresting your God given MH rights from you?
Please, remember two things:
#1 This is just a message board. A really good message board, but just a board all the same.
#2 Crack don't smoke itself.

[SoMissTV]

Do you think that the council is some kind of Star Chamber Machiavellian Cabal designed with the intent of wresting your God given MH rights from you?

No.

However, if they're going to conduct themselves in the style of a city council with motions, minutes, officers, etc, it seems to me that they should be covered in much the same way.

[jmb]

I bet the meetings move really slow cause everybody can't be on line @ the same time.

No.

However, if they're going to conduct themselves in the style of a city council with motions, minutes, officers, etc, it seems to me that they should be covered in much the same way.

Ford, they move really slow. Instead of having all seven in a room where several different items can be discussed and voted on, not to mention discussion time and having a quorum, it sometimes takes days to get through one item and that's before voting on it.

That leads me to SoMissTV's statement. We are trying to do it in that manner, but with starting from scratch, we don't have any rules and are forming them as we go. That all takes time. We plan on providing the members with minutes, motions, votes, etc. but so far all of our discussing and voting has been on the by-laws. Please have a little patience with us. We're trying. :)

[carsalesguy]

i just ate and i'm full.

[SoMissTV]

Thanks for the reply, jmb, but it doesn't fully answer all of my questions.

I assume that at some point, we will be asked to vote again for council members when the existing council's "term" is up. How are we to make informed decisions about specific council members' points of view when we cannot see the discussion that leads to decisions?

QM, I know that you have some experience in dealing with media and open meeting laws. Are you in favor of opening the discussion to public viewing? Why or why not?

[jmb]

Thanks for the reply, jmb, but it doesn't fully answer all of my questions.

I assume that at some point, we will be asked to vote again for council members when the existing council's "term" is up. How are we to make informed decisions about specific council members' points of view when we cannot see the discussion that leads to decisions?

QM, I know that you have some experience in dealing with media and open meeting laws. Are you in favor of opening the discussion to public viewing? Why or why not?

Sorry, SoMiss. I answered all I can. We don't have the answers yet.

[SoMissTV]

Sorry, SoMiss. I answered all I can. We don't have the answers yet.

You have no personal opinion to my questions?

[58ford]

Once the council has reached any important decisions, I'm sure they will inform us.
We all had our chance to influence the process when we voted. That's over now.
This thread is for asking questions, but I don't think badgering the same question to death is productive.

[58ford]

Arron said the council would possibly need expansion when there were 2,000+ members, then clarified that figure here:Ohh, ok, wait, I get it now. You thought I meant registered users. And I meant members, meaning 2,000 people that have 20 posts or more. Sorry for the confusion.

[58ford]

I know I'm not looking in the right place, but according to the Members List link, there are currently approximately 360 registered members with 20 or more posts.

Where else can one look? I don't see the Stats button any more.
The conspiracy continues!

[EricStratton]

Question:

Is 3:45 to early to start drinkin' on a Friday?

[SoMissTV]

Question:

Is 3:45 to early to start drinkin' on a Friday?

3:45 isn't too early, regardless of the day.

[58ford]

Question:

Is 3:45 to early to start drinkin' on a Friday?
It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

[EricStratton]

3:45 isn't too early, regardless of the day.

Good. 'Cause I went ahead and started anyway.

[SoMissTV]

What did you start with?

[amanda]

It's Friday - if we were living in New Orleans we could have started at noon! :) I'd say 3:45 would be okay. :)

[amanda]

Noon on Monday in New Orleans.


For that matter - noon any day in New Orleans. :smt118

[EricStratton]

I noticed it was getting off-topic so I moved it to the Thread about Beer....However, I think everyone involved in this whole council pissin' match should sit back and have a beverage of choice...

[EricStratton]

:offtopic: SEE BEER THREAD!


What did you start with?

[amanda]

Dang....this thread was finally getting fun....oh well, guess I'll go check out the Beer thread then. :)

[EricStratton]

Good Stratton...cuz when I come at you like a spider monkey, then you'll not know what hit you!

WOOOOOOOO!!!

Dang it...this is off topic, isn't it?

:offtopic: Meet you in the Wrestling Thread after a couple of more beers.....Meet you in person after twelve more beers.

[XC9]

Question:

Is 3:45 to early to start drinkin' on a Friday?
It's night time someplace in the world-go for it. GET a designated driver though! :clap:

[EricStratton]

SoMiss,

If you want to groan me, you can meet me in the Wrestling Thread too, son!

[EricStratton]

It's night time someplace in the world-go for it. GET a designated driver though! :clap:

I don't plan on driving....My big ass is gonna sit right here, unless my wife wants to take me to the casina and let me piss away some of OUR hard earned money....or, unless my wife takes me to the sto' to buy something better than this Natty Light...