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Democracy is often criticized for moving too slowly. A trio of Metro councilors win this week's Rogue for moving too fast. The seven-member regional governing body was left with a vacancy when Metro Councilor Lisa Naito won a seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. Voters will elect someone to fill out Naito's term in November, but in the meantime, Metro gets to appoint someone to fill the post temporarily. That's where the councilors' roguish behavior comes in. A couple of weeks ago, WW requested notification of any public meetings in which Metro councilors would interview the four job applicants: Rod Monroe, D.W. Owens, Scott Pratt and Jacqueline Dingfelder. What we learned was that those meetings were already under way, and they were taking place behind closed doors. Metro spokesman Jeff Stone says that for the past few weeks, three Metro councilors--Jon Kvistad, Susan McLain and Ruth McFarland--have been meeting with the candidates in one-on-one sessions. Such conferences aren't subject to open-meetings laws, which apply only when a quorum of Metro councilors gather. As a result, we don't know what's been asked of the three applicants. Were they promised a spot on the solid waste committee in exchange for support on another issue? Stone insists the "informal meet-and-greets," as he calls them, aren't about exchanging votes for political promises. He says he understands that the methodology may be flawed, but the council wants to move quickly. "The candidates have been good about working with the councilors, meeting them informally," Stone says. He notes that the full council will meet July 2 to take public comments on the applicants and possibly make a selection. "The public will have every avenue to view the decision-making process," Stone says, referring to the open meeting. Every avenue, it seems, except the ones that have a "Do Not Enter" sign posted on them. |
