Left In Lowell

Go back to once a week; twice a month has not worked!

10 Responses to “Go back to once a week; twice a month has not worked!”

1. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 10:35 pm

   “…The primary reason for changing the schedule was to give an opportunity to the Sub-Committee meetings to be more meaningful both in length and content…”

   Actually I believed then and still believe now, that the primary reason for changing the schedule was CC Lenzi bit off more than he could chew with his obligations to his business, GLTHS and CC.

   I agree with you that their “stated” reason has been exposed for what it was, a smokescreen.

2. K-R-S Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 11:24 pm

   This is an area that I wholeheartedly agree with CC R. Mercier.
   They should go back to once weekly. SHould they opt not to, then they should entertain the motion to cut their stipen in half (considering the economic times & the level of work that has been put forth).
   Weekly mtgs are important to keep consistency, thereby important to keep our Democracy!

3. Kim Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 11:36 pm

   KRS,
   I agree completely. If they are not willing to put in the time then they should not be paid for it. I am sure Lenzi and AK will not vote for weekly meetings. One thing you can say for Rita is that she puts in her time and that she answers residents questions which is more then I can say for a few CC’s.

4. K-R-S Says:
   November 24th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

   Kpem, sometimes ya’ need to work them a little harder to listen…;0)

5. Jim Leary Says:
   November 25th, 2008 at 8:32 am

   I hate to diagree with you Mimi, because you are simply just the best person in the whole world, but I do. CC Lenzi’s motion was a both a thoughtful and meaningful attempt to improve the function of our City Council, which I think it did. More meetings does not equal a better City Council - higher quality should be the measurement.

   Regarding the money, they deserve all that they receive. All of them put in an average of over 20 hours week. Rita likely puts in even more. It is not easy being on call @ any time of the day/night seven days a week. Regardless of my opinion, I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Warmest regards!

6. Paul@01852 Says:
   November 25th, 2008 at 9:34 am

   I think we need to analyze whether the subcommittee meetings are more “productive” than they were when they had to be conducted around weekly CC meetings. The rationale that I heard was that the off-weeks could be used to prevent the 20 minute, rushed SC meetings that had been taking place. Does anyone have information on the length and productivity of SC meetings since September when the schedule changed?

   Personally I would prefer weekly CC meetings. Is there any possibility of “reserving” the chambers on a regular basis for SC meetings, say something like a 2 hour block of time every week (or every other week) at the same time? If so then SC Chairs could schedule their meetings at this time to prevent fore-shortened meetings. I believe the School Committee meets every other week on Wed nights. Maybe the CC could reserve the off-weeks exclusively for SC meetings.

7. Jim Leary Says:
   November 25th, 2008 at 11:40 am

   Paul, your right the SC meetings are on the first and third Wed. of each month with a time limit set at 10:00 PM, however, w/a majority vote we do and have gone over that time limit. It really depends on what needs to be addressed that week. Additionally, we have special meetings as needed, one example is during budget time. We set multiple meeting dates during the budget weeks including Saturdays until our budget is completed and voted on.

   Most of our regular meetings average about two hours. There are also numerous subcommittee meetings, which average about two each week. However, some weeks such as this week there are none set.

   The CC has already called special meetings as needed and would continue to do so if bi-monthly meetings remain the same. The key point is when they need to do so and not just to say that they had a lot of meetings. It is easy to forget that it is not how hard or long we work, but rather on on well and successfully we work (I have to remind myself of this on a regular basis). Using a bi-monthly schedule, in my opinion, is more productive for the CC. It might be helpful to see how often other cities CC meet.

8. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   November 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

   Interesting question Jim. Here is scheduled of meetings for the other Plan E city councils;

   Cambridge;
   The City Council meets on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. from the first Monday in January to and including the last Monday in June, and from the second Monday in September to and including the last Monday in December in the Sullivan Chamber on the second floor of City Hall. Approximately one meeting each month is scheduled as an informal roundtable discussion meeting at which no votes are taken.

   Worcester;
   Here is a link to their 2008 schedule:
   http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/cco/clerk/council/pdf/CCCSchedule.pdf

   As far as the SC meetings Jim, I would make the suggesting that over the summer the SC maintain the regular schedule as you are getting ready for the new school year in Sept. Twice a month is not too much of a burden in my opinion.

9. Mimi Says:
   November 25th, 2008 at 8:14 pm

   SC Jim:

   Thanks for the compliment but when the City Council decided to go to twice a month meeting the reason given was that they wanted to make their Sub-Committee more meaningful.

   Anyone can watch the replays of those meetings on LTC’s website and can decide for themselves.

   By the way, when will the School Committee hold their sub-committees meeting in a room where LTC (Channel 10) or Lowell Educational TV (Channel 22) can broadcast those meetings.

10. Jim Leary Says:
    November 25th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    Mimi, I know their reasons, I was just expresing my own opinion. On broadcasting our own subcommittee meetings - I will f/u w/the mayor and my SC colleagues. We did broadcast two LHS subcommittee meetings and one joint building subcommittee meeting w/the CC. It is obviously not enough.

    I know very little about Worcester. I think the Cambridge CC folks are paid somewhere around $70K - $80K w/options for medical benefits (valued around $10K). Each CC member has staff to assist them w/constituent service. A quick comparison; the Lowell mayor receives $20K w/option for medical benefits, chairs both the CC and the SC, and has to be everywhere for everyone representing Lowell at multiple events each week. He does have an excellent staff of two. Thank you for the information - it is very interesting. Jimmy

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