Letter to the Editor: Ban on Emails, Texts During Meetings Too Broad

This letter was sent to Royal Oak Patch by Royal Oak City Commissioner Jim Rasor in regard to his objection to a with each other or a member of the public during meetings:

I want to clarify my position for the readers. I don't want City Commissioners to violate the Open Meeting Act or any other law by texting or emailing during City Commission meetings, or at any other time. 

However, there are times where I need to quickly answer a constituent email, write an email, communicate with other units of government, or to staff, or respond to a business or personal issue, and this rule prohibits this entirely. That was my opposition to the rule ... it is so broad ... and we've never had a issue come to our attention with Commissioners texting or emailing during meetings, so why do we need this broad prohibition? To prevent the appearance of impropriety when none exists? Don't we have better things to do?

Keep in mind, sometimes these meetings go on for four or five hours. Government is challenging that way ... we seem to be able to cram an hour's worth of work into a five hour meeting! 

The bottom line is that it is 2011, I am a smart and capable man, and I have the ability to multi-task. I can participate in a meeting, write an email to staff and respond to a quick text about picking up a kid at school ... just like the rest of the country does at work every day. Sometimes we talk about issues that I want to tell my constituents about, or that need to be communicated to our county commissioner, state representative, or representative in Congress.  Keep in mind, the City Commission has no secretary and I make $20 a meeting. Best to maximize the time!

I don't want to spend the entire meeting multi-tasking, and I keep it to necessary communication,  but I'm an adult and I know what's appropriate in terms of my ability to process information. It's best for me to work on something when it's fresh in my mind.

I'll give you an example of why this rule doesn't work. Later in the meeting, after we had outlawed all electronic communication, we discussed the Hotel/Motel Committee and a future meeting. I remembered that I wanted to have something placed on that agenda. Normally I would have just dashed off a quick email to the manager. 

Instead? I wrote him a letter by hand and gave it to him after the meeting. Really. In 2011. 

Government is challenging enough without productivity-killing rules enacted out of fear. End the ban on technology use at the City Commission and let’s get moving into the 21^st century!

– Jim Rasor, Royal Oak City Commissioner