Government Stuff

From attending both city council meetings I found it very interesting and didn’t know these types of meetings were held. I attended the meeting on September 18, 2012 based on an update on police responses to recent crimes and gang activities. Since this meeting was a continuation I found that there have been 39 homicides in 2012. Some issues that were discussed were police department’s goals and priorities, as well as, the actions that have been attempted in reducing crime activity. Some of the police department’s goals are to invest in people through training, recognition, and retention efforts. Transparency, accountability, and collaboration with the community, and identify and focus efforts to solve problems through innovation. Some other issues that were discussed were the number of homicides, aggravated assaults, robbery and rape. When people from the public began speaking their opinion on these issues I was really interested in what they had to say. A man, Christian Hemmingway, said that the community needs to get together and make a change. I completely agree with that statement he made. The second meeting I attended recently on October 23, 2012, about a month after, was based on city commissions to be consolidated. This involves issues on mobile home parks, domestic and family violence, and small business development. One issue that stood out to me was how the city council plans to fundraise for parks and recreation, which also includes senior citizens and youth. They mentioned that it won’t happen overnight but with time it will improve. My impression of the meetings process was straightforward. Both the council members and the public contributed to the discussion and stayed on the topic. Members of the public got a chance to speak but my main concern was why they got a limited time to express their opinion. One answer would be to keep the meeting going but to me it’s more important to hear what people believe/want. If the city council members pay