This is from Bill Liblick's column in today's edition of The Sullivan County Democrat about a May 17th disaster preparedness training to be held by the American Red Cross of Greater New York at Monticello High School.
I am a member of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Monticello, New York and a Community Liaison for the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department. This is an online space where I can tell you about things that matter, and you can contact me with your concerns. This site serves the best interests of the Village and people of Monticello by making public information, including Minutes of Board meetings, as well as my thoughts on certain matters, more accessible. I welcome your ideas on any topic, online or at Board meetings.
Art, music, and other cultural events are not hard to find near Monticello. We enjoyed an afternoon of choral arrangements by Sullivan County Community Chorus at the First Church Presbyterian of Monticello on May 4th.
What it is. How it works. 1
"Briefly, the main features of Council-Manager government are: a small council elected at large on a non-partisan ballot determines all municipal policies which are not set forth in a charter itself, adopts ordinances, votes appropriations and is required to appoint a chief executive officer called a Village Manager. The council is the governing body of the Village and the Village Manager is its agent in carrying out the policy which it determines. It is definitely understood that the Council deals with administration only in a formal manner through the Village Manager, and that administrative functions are at no time delegated to committees or individual members of the Council.
- 1. The above is excerpted from the first "annual report" by the first Village Manager of the Village of Monticello. The following introductory paragraph appeared at the outset:
"Since this is the first annual report of the Village Manager, it is perhaps fitting that a brief explanation of the mechanics of the Council-Manager form of government, as well as some of the thinking behind it, be included as an introduction. The term "Council" means Board of Trustees as it exists in Monticello.
A few of the positions (such as Village Assessor) in the above chart have since been abolished. However, the general principles of legislative intent behind our present form of government is well explained in the text and diagram.
The day after Earth Day, it became my pleasure to join a small band of other local environmentalists on a field trip to learn about recycling programs in nearby Rockland County's Materials Recovery Facility and Greenway Environmental's Compost Facility at Vassar College. 1
I know other members of the Monticello Village Board of Trustees share my concern on this issue, so we need to act as one.
- 1. Fellow travelers were Sullivan County Manager David Fanslau, Sullivan County Treasurer Ira Cohen, Sullivan County Commissioner of Finance Joshua Potosek, retired Monticello High School biology teacher Jim Weinstein, Special Protection of the Environment for the County of Sullivan (SPECS) co-director Janet Newburgh and Ron Weather, and Monticello Village Trustee Carmen Rue. Thanks to Janet Newburgh for organizing the expedition.
Public comment by Tom Rue on April 21, 2008 to the Village of Monticello Board of Trustees:
It's been said the Village must move on. Agreed.
Reasonable public discussion and compromise are better approachs to legislating than fighting, behind-the-scenes deals, litigating, or bullying. I hope the Mayor and others of you will learn to work peaceably and respectfully among yourselves as a Board – each with one independent and co-equal vote, and to talk out disagreements rather than stomp, yell, and demand your way or the highway. Otherwise, how can you lead a community? Some of you have already shown yourselves better prepared for this than others.
In stark contrast to his past promises not to limit the length of remarks during the public comment sessions at Village Board meetings once he took office, on April 21st Mayor Gordon Jenkins threatened North Street property owner and certified public accountant Ray Lustig with arrest for exceeding an arbitrary five-minute time cap.
The following editorial ran in today's Sullivan County Democrat:
"Equal Employment Opportunity" means that all personnel activities assure equal access in all phases of the employment process, for all public jobs. This involves the right of any person to apply and be evaluated for employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
Among some specific suggestions regarding an anti-nepotism policy, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission points out that "Title VII may be violated if the employer's work force consists primarily of one race or ethnic group and the employer hires only friends and relatives of employees" (EEOC Informal Discussion Letter, 12/23/2004.)
A village that supports the idea of "open government" welcomes input from local people. Its elected officials know they do not have all the answers. We don't know everything. We need to hear different ideas and various points of view.
Honest board members have nothing to fear by allowing some extra minutes out of each meeting to be sure everyone who took the time out of their busy day to come and sit through a Village Board meeting goes away feeling that they were listened to by their elected representatives.
Part of the platform that I and my former running mate shared was a promise to respect the public and to seek more public comment than the past administration did on matters of concern to the community.
