The Kiddie Table

Ahhh the eve of another CAC meeting!

What's in store for us this time?

What little monkey wrenches will be tossed in to take the focus off our business at hand?

Last months' meeting was interesting, to say the least.

You won't read it in the minutes, but here's a few tidbits.

But first a little background...

I was nominated by the CAC members in October 2007. Due to delays and the December CAC meeting being cancelled by Sun Metro (yet another story there), I arrived at the January 2008 CAC meeting and was greeted by a laminated sign with 'Suzanne Fabian Alternate Member' at the conference table. OK- we're off to a good start here, I thought. There I go a-thinkin'!!! Lol.

I was seated next to Raymond Telles, Jr., our assistant city attorney that advised our meetings.

Mind you, everytime I go downtown my ears wreak havoc on me and I end up not being able to hear very well for at least half a day. Forget about going OVER the mountain- that's even worse!

So I'm sitting at the big conference table next to Raymond and our meeting starts and we vote on a chair and vice-chair. A couple minutes later Raymond whispers in my ear and I'm like "What? What?"- I couldn't hear him! So we go outside to talk.

Raymond tells me there's been a mistake (lol) and that my recommendation by the CAC members as an alternate was mistakenly left off the MTDB meeting so they never voted on my position yet! It had not been carried over to the MTDB by the secretary and had not been on the agenda! And I ask well why do I have a name placard? Another oversight, Raymond basically says.

So I ask "Can I still sit at the big table?" and Raymond agrees that that's okay.

And that's where I basically sat at for each meeting, unless it was too crowded at the table.

So we go back in and I sit down at the big table and place my placard face-down. Raymond explains the mix-up and we continue on with the meeting. After a couple more minutes I interrupt and ask the question that since I voted on the record and I'm not really eligible to- shouldn't we revisit that agenda item and take a re-vote without me? Raymond agrees. (Umm- why am I bringing up protocol and legalities to the assistant city attorney?- I'm just a lay person!)

Anyway... speaking of protocol and legalities, I had another incident late last year. This was in November.

I couldn't attend the CAC meeting but I called in to speak on certain agenda items. Our newly-assigned assistant city attorney (Raymond Telles Jr. moved on to other assignments) advised the CAC that I would be allowed to speak as a member of the public but only during the public comment portion of the agenda- not on items! That made no sense to me! I tried to voice my opinion but would not be listened to and was ignored the rest of the meeting!

If I was recognized as a member of the public, as I was, then I should have been afforded every right a member of the public enjoys- meaning being able to speak during public comment on non-agenda items if I so wished, and also on agenda items after the CAC discussed an item! You can't have one without having the other- that's changing the rules without the proper steps taken to change such rules!
And as the city likes to say "that's how we've always done it"- and that's how we've always done it in the CAC since I've been attending, so.....

Needless to say, I brought this up to our chair and the assistant city attorney and directed them to the CAC website where it stated at the time how and when a member of the public may speak at these meetings.

This time I DID receive an apology for the mistake, which was nice. But the damage had been already done- I was shut down from speaking.

Funny thing was- this was an agenda item I had been pushing for. Priority seating being truly 'priority'. I had spoken with Ms. Shang about being denied yet again to ride the bus with my client who is in a wheelchair because no one wanted to move from the priority seats and that the coach operators had nothing to back them up in enforcing the signage of priority seating on the buses. She couldn't believe it but investigated it and found it to be a true problem and soon we had an ordinance enforcing and empowering the coach operators to make it a priority. More on this matter on another post!

So, back to the table.

Last month I go into the conference room and I don't see my placard waiting at a spot at the table. Ok- no biggie- looks like we have a full house.

About a half hour in to the meeting a member had to leave, so there was a space open at the table, but I remained seated where I was.

Soon I wished to speak on an item and rose my hand. I was not recognized by the vice-chair. Maybe they couldn't see me? When another member was done speaking I rose my hand again. Nothing. I was overlooked again. Hmmmm.

After that other member spoke I rose my hand again- guess it was difficult to be seen.

Then someone pointed out that I wished to speak and I waited my turn as someone was already speaking.

In the meantime, 2 CAC members motioned me over to come sit at the big table. I hesitated and they kept motioning. So I scooted my chair to the table. I put down the placard that was in front of me of the absent member whose spot I took. Shortly another member went to a side table and grabbed my name placard and placed it in front of me. Suzanne Fabian Alternate Member.

After I spoke on the item I had wanted to I was told by the assistant city attorney (and I'm not quoting) that me being at the table would confuse people (what people?) and that only seated members should be at the table. This was according to the resolutions the assistant city attorney said.

WOW!

I never knew just sitting at a table would cause such a ruckus or ruffle some people's feathers!

I guess I was spoiled, even being "just" an alternate member. I almost always got to sit at the big people's table. Yes, I also almost always was part of the quorom. My placard said alternate so I thought that made things clear. And if I voted on an item I thought that made it clear if I was in the quorom. If I was silent during voting I thought it made it clear that I was not part of the quorom that day. Either way, as alternate I am allowed to speak on any item at any time- it's just kind of hard to be recognized when you're not at the TABLE!

So I scooted away from the table.

Anyway, it was a kind gesture by a couple of CAC members that tried to make a motion to over-rule the resolutions and have me come back to the table, but they were nixed by the attorney.

I looked at each resolution and I really don't interpret any of them broaching this subject. They can be viewed on the city's website on the Citizen's Advisory Committee to the Mass Transit Board/Sun Metro webpage, before you get to the list of members and alternates.

When the CAC members tried to over-rule the "resolution" they were told that this subject could be brought up in our by-laws under construction. Cool- maybe that would make things clearer. And more collegial.

So, I started this post last night and am just finishing it this Tuesday morning. Let's see what this new day holds, and if I'll be at the "kiddie table" or at the big people's table .

side note- since I had such a hard time being recognized to speak being on the outskirts of an oval table, I wonder if any members of the public that have shown up have had trouble being recognized? We need a larger conference room where the CAC members can face the public.

side note 2- it is stated that alternates will be called to attend a meeting if a full member has said they cannot show. We have always allowed our alternates to show at any meeting they wish and to participate, sometimes we even had all 3 alternates in attendance (when we had 3), and nothing was ever said. I have never been called to ensure my attendance as an alternate. Usually, we don't know if we'll have a quorom until we get to the meeting the day of. Drs appointments, illnesses, family emergencies etc are notalways scheduled, so I guess it's a good thing us alternates like to be there as much as possible!