Re: April 2, 2024 City Council Meeting
Item !0-A Council Referral to Consider Directing Staff to Start a Process to Modify the City Charter to Increase the City Council to have Seven Members
Dear Mayor and Council members
I see that my letter dated 1/16/2023 is included in the correspondence for item 10-A regarding adding 2 additional city council members to the body.
My concerns as outlined in that letter have not changed.
I am do not understand the redundancy of items 7-D and 10-A, but very happy to have the opportunity to share my opinion.
Thank you.
Paula Rainey
Alameda resident
From: paula rainey
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Cc: Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella; City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] adding 2 additional council members, bad idea Date: Monday, January 16, 2023 12:10:07 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
I read Council member Daysog’s proposal to add two additional members to the city council. And I had the opportunity to speak to him in person last week.
This is a very bad idea.
Getting a group of citizens, a committee of some kind, to look into the benefits of adding council members to city council, then make recommendations, can easily be arranged to come up with whatever Councilman Daysog wishes to hear in the findings. Right? Not satisfactory to me and especially since there has been no call from the public for additional council members.
Everyone is well aware that there is very limited time for the public to share their thoughts during council sessions. And when many people wish to comment on a matter, rules instruct that public comment be reduced. Add additional members, and each one will wish to expound on their position and ask their questions; the time for the public to speak is bound to be cut further.
And the meetings will doubtless last longer. Already many, many residents are unable to attend full meetings because these go on too late into the night.
I do not buy Tony's argument to me that additional council members will ensure that the public has easier access to city hall. And as for Tony’s argument that more council members make sense, to share the responsibility for decision making around the city’s large budget, isn’t this what he and the rest of the council signed up for? Isn’t it city staff that are in fact the professionals, do the research and make well-informed recommendations on all the high dollar budget items?
How do any of these predictable outcomes work to build democracy at city level? Red flags are up for me.
Thank you
Sincerely,
Paula Rainey
510 827 9938
556 Palace Court, Alameda 94501