Pueblo Citizens for Open Government

Pueblo Free Speech Initiative to be On the November Ballot!

2008-08-30T23:08:00.003-06:00

Pueblo voters will have a chance to vote to return televised public comments to Pueblo City Council Meetings!

Pueblo Citizens for Open Government has met the required number of signatures to force the Pueblo City Council to place the item on the November ballot. The council voted 7-0 Monday night to place the item on the ballot, as required by the city charter.

The ballot item will ask city voters to return the public forum to the already televised regular council sessions. The Pueblo City Council removed public comments from the televised meetings in September of 2007, without so much as a public hearing. Public comments were moved into the non-televised work sessions, which does not allow citizens viewing the meetings on television to hear the comments of their fellow citizens.

Supporters of the effort are calling the ballot question the "Pueblo Free Speech Initiative".

Join our campaign to bring back televised free speech to the Pueblo City Council Meetings. If you value open government are interested in getting involved contact us at: pueblofreespeech@gmail.com

City Clerk Certifies Petitions!

2008-08-09T00:06:00.002-06:00

PUEBLO – The Pueblo City Clerk’s office completed the validation of signatures submitted by Pueblo Citizens for Open Government in their effort to return the televised public forum to Pueblo City Council meetings.

The City Clerk’s office had completed their review by noon on Friday when they contacted the group’s organizers by telephone to notify them that they had verified the necessary 1,359 valid signatures.

City Clerk Gina Dutcher has placed the item on the Pueblo City Council’s agenda for their upcoming August 25^th regular meeting. The Pueblo City Charter requires that council take action within thirty days to either pass the ordinance without alterations or refer it to city voters in the upcoming November election.

GROUP SUBMITS PETITIONS TO RETURN TELEVISED PUBLIC FORUM

2008-08-02T13:07:00.002-06:00

PUEBLO – A citizens group working to roll back last year’s decision by the Pueblo City Council to do away with the televised public forum during regular council meetings turned in their petitions Friday to make the August 1^st deadline set by the Pueblo City Clerk’s office.

The effort has been named the Pueblo Free Speech Initiative by its organizers and seeks to reestablish public forum prior to the commencement of any business at regular Pueblo City Council meetings. The measure would also require that the public forum be included as part of the televised portion of the regular meeting and allow up to six people to address the City Council on camera for five minutes each.

The Pueblo City Council voted last September to do away with the televised public forum by moving it into the non-televised work session meetings. The rule change has drawn criticism from members of the community who are concerned that the move eliminates the public’s ability to voice concerns to the community, especially on nights when the council is taking action by resolution. The council is not required to hold a public hearing before voting on resolutions.

The group calling themselves Pueblo Citizens for Open Government turned in 2,003 signatures. The petitions contain 644 signatures over and above the 1,359 signatures necessary for a citizen’s imitative. Both state law and the city charter require the group to have obtained signatures totaling at least five percent of the votes cast in the most recent municipal election in order to move their issue forward. The City Clerk must determine if the group has submitted enough valid signatures to force an action by the council.

If successful, the City Council will be required to take action within 30 days. The City Charter requires that council either pass the ordinance without alterations or they must refer the proposed ordinance to city voters in the upcoming November election.

The measure would not cost the city any additional funds since the regular meetings are already being televised. The petitions were submitted by Pueblo resident Chris Nicoll and former District 4 City Council member Ted Lopez Jr. The circulation of petitions was a collaborative effort of approximately twenty of Pueblo’s citizens.

Pueblo Citizens for Open Government was formed shortly after the Pueblo City Council voted to eliminate the televised public forum in September of 2007. Comments made by former City Council President Judy Weaver to the Pueblo Chieftain alarmed many people in the community. Weaver was quoted saying “People have to understand this is our meeting being held in public; it's not a public meeting."

Denver Post Editorials on Open Government - A Must Read!

2008-07-23T01:16:00.002-06:00

The Denver Post has recently published two really good editorial positions on open government. These are a very interesting read. I wonder if our Pueblo City Council has seen these?

Open Government 2008
Accountability begins with open government

By the Colorado Press Association
Article Last Updated: 07/21/2008 11:26:39 AM MDT

The following editorial was provided by the Colorado Press Association as part of its Open Government 2008 series. To read more of the series, click on the links at the end of the editorial.

Accountability.

That one word describes the importance of open government.

Elected and appointed public officials are accountable to the people they serve. And you are the people they serve. You selected them, whether in municipal, school board, county, legislative congressional or presidential elections, to serve you.

Their decision-making process should be conducted in open meetings. Their actions should be conducted so you know why and how they make their decisions.

It doesn't matter whether they are discussing potholes, public education or public safety, these issues affect you and your community.

You have the right to know how your public officials spend your tax dollars. You have the right to know how they make decisions regarding the health and well being of you, your family, your neighborhood, and your business.

During this year's election campaign, you have the right to ask candidates their views on open government. They want your vote; you want their opinion.

Ignore the rhetoric, bumper stickers, yard signs, mailed fliers, robocalls, and TV commercials.

They're simply slogans and sound bites. They're designed to contain little information because the intent is only to increase candidates' name recognition.

When you meet candidates — any candidates — at a town meeting, a campaign rally, at the mall, at a diner or on the street, tell them you want openness in government. Tell them you want transparency over secrecy. Tell them you want to know how they conduct your business.

Ask them if they believe in open government. Ask them if they understand that they must be held accountable for their actions.

And then ask them how they would practice the principles of openness if they were elected.

Dan Haley: Government is the people's business

Ken Amundson: The more we know, the better off we are

Wayne Laugesen: An Olympic effort in Colorado Springs

Bob Moore: The consent of the governed requires transparency

Dale Shrull: The Beijing Olympics and Sunshine Week

Steve Henson: Once elected, public officials develop amnesia

Source: The Denver Post 07/21/2008
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_9915276

----------------------------------------------------
Government is the people's business

Source:
By Dan Haley The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 07/18/2008 03:49:02 PM MDT

This column is part of a series of columns highlighting the importance of open government. To read an editorial by the Colorado Press Association and columns by other Colorado journalists, click here.

My first business cards hadn't even been printed when an editor sent me out to cover a county hospital board meeting. Something about the board hiring a corporate management team.

Snooze.

The chairman gaveled the meeting into session, made a few comments and I scribbled some notes. No news here, I huffed. Then he called for an executive session, cast me out into the hall and closed the doors to the boardroom.

And that's where I sat. For hours.

A doctor, who also had been kicked out of the meeting, finally broke the silence in the hallway,saying, "Don't you think you have a right to be in there, you know, if they're deciding the fate of a publicly held hospital?"

Well, if you put it like that.

I yanked out my wallet and found a dog-eared, yellow business card with an attorney's name on it that someone had given me in college — should a reporter find himself kicked out of a government meeting, no matter how boring he thought the subject matter.

Minutes later, I was rapping on the closed door. A board member opened it only slightly, saw my face and tried to shut it, but I stopped it with my foot like some pushy Amway salesman.

"You have to give me a reason for the executive sessions," I told him, relaying the lawyer's advice. "Contract negotiation," he replied, again slamming the door.

Soon, the door opened, the meeting was again public and the board officially hired a management company. A red-faced board member later confessed that they had discussed all sorts of things they shouldn't have behind that closed door before I knocked on it.

It was an important lesson so early in my journalism career: If the people's business is being conducted, the people not only have a right to know about it, they need to be involved in it.

And it doesn't matter how small the government entity.

For our democracy to work, people need to have a stake in what their government is doing. We simply can't have "government for the people, by the people" unless the people are informed.

It sounds almost trite saying it in these cynical times, but an informed citizenry is the very heart of our democracy. The more information people have, the more they can affect change — from the federal level all the way down to the local library board.

The Colorado Press Association recently launched its Open Government 2008 awareness campaign to educate citizens about open government and to urge them to hold public officials accountable when it comes to open meetings and records. (Check out the editorial at the bottom-left of this page.)

Open government doesn't just benefit nosy reporters. It's not really about us at all. It's about you.

The federal Freedom of Information Act and Colorado's Sunshine Law and Open Records Act are also important tools for citizens who want to watch how government spends their hard-earned money and otherwise conducts business.

Citizens can't hold their elected leaders accountable if they're left in the dark.

For open government to workbest, it should be a two-way street. Government leaders need to shed light on their own actions, and not just when citizens or journalists demand that they do so.

When they don't, we have laws in Colorado and in this country that allow virtually anyone to access the inner workings of our public institutions, and that helps make America the world's strongest democracy.

But more can always be done. And it starts at the ballot box.

Editorial page editor Dan Haley can be reached at dhaley@denverpost.com.

http://www.denverpost.com/haley/ci_9915272?source=rssfeeddigest

Signature Collection Underway!

2008-07-15T00:30:00.003-06:00

We are in full swing of our push to collect signatures for our ballot initiative to bring back televised public comments to the Pueblo City Council meetings. This is an important issue to the citizens of Pueblo to bring back their voice! Help us meet our August 1, 2008 deadline to reach 1,359 signatures.

The ballot initiative will ask the voters of Pueblo to reestablish televised public comments.

If you are a resident of Pueblo and a registered voter and would like to sign or carry a petition please give contact me and I will set you up to collect signatures. It's easy: just start with friends and family, neighbors and attend as many public events and meetings and keep your petition with you. You will fill a packet of 50 signatures in no time!

Give me a call if you can help us: Chris Nicoll 719.248.4198 email: pueblofreespeech@gmail.com

Thanks,
Chris

Help us bring back televised free speech at Pueblo City Council Meetings

2008-07-06T23:34:00.001-06:00

Pueblo Citizens for Open Government is looking for volunteers who can carry petitions for a November ballot initiative that would reestablish a public forum prior to the commencement of the regular televised Pueblo City Council meetings. The measure seeks to encourage free speech and the free flow of ideas by making the meetings more accessible and available to Pueblo’s citizens.

On September 24th 2007 the Pueblo City Council voted to deny citizens the right to speak during regular televised city council meetings. The ability for citizens to address city council was moved to the non-televised work session meetings. This action was taken in a single meeting without any opportunity for public input.

City Council Member Judy Weaver was quoted in the newspaper saying, "People have to understand that this is our meeting being held in public; it's not a public meeting," Weaver said. - September 29 Pueblo Chieftain.

We believe that Pueblo City Council meetings are in fact public and that the citizens of Pueblo should be allowed to speak on camera so that people watching from home on public access TV are allowed to hear their comments.

If you are a registered voter who lives in the Pueblo City limits and are interested in carrying a petition please contact: Chris Nicoll (719) 248-4198 or send an email to pueblofreespeech@gmail.com

PUEBLO DEMOCRATS APPROVE PLATFORM RESOLUTION CALLING FOR RETURN OF TELEVISED PUBLIC FORUM

2008-02-28T08:30:00.003-07:00

PUEBLO – Pueblo County Democrats weighed in on the decision by Pueblo City Council to remove the televised public forum from their meetings during Saturday’s Democratic Assembly.

Democratic delegates approved a platform resolution in favor of reinstating televised public comments. The resolution reads: “Resolution # 3: Be it resolved that the Pueblo Democratic Party ask that all City Council meetings will be televised for public access and include public comment for all Pueblo County residents.”

The measure was submitted by members of Pueblo Citizens for Open Government at their neighborhood precincts during the recent February 5th Democratic Caucus. Once approved at the precinct level, the resolution then moved on to Saturday’s County Assembly where it was voted on and approved by the County Assembly Delegates.

“I think there are many voters in our city who are really upset that their right to speak and be heard has been taken away by this council. We plan to ask the voters of Pueblo to bring back free speech at City Hall,” said Chris Nicoll, organizer of Pueblo Citizens for Open Government. The group is currently organizing a petition drive for a November ballot initiative that would ask the voters to approve a new city ordinance requiring televised public comment at City Council meetings. The group also held a Freedom Rally at City Hall in October to protest the rule change and the fact that it occurred without any public input.

Pueblo City Council voted to remove televised public comment from their meetings last September, one month before the municipal election. The council had just placed several questions on the ballot, including the expansion of the Pueblo Convention Center. The move to stop televised public comment before the election has some citizens questioning the timing of events and if this was an attempt by council to silence their critics before the election.

“This council doesn’t want the people to speak on camera where their comments and criticisms will be heard by the public watching from home. Our tax dollars pay for televised open meetings and the people should be allowed to take part in that process on camera,” Nicoll said. The rule change has also raised concerns that the council has limited the access for disabled citizens and the elderly who have a harder time attending the council meetings in person.

Posted by Chris Nicoll - Pueblo Citizens for Open Government

Why Is the Pueblo City Council so opposed to letting people speak on camera?

2008-02-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Pueblo City Council Continues to Restrict Free Speech

Why is the Pueblo City Council so opposed to letting people speak on camera? During a recent council meeting a local resident was repeatedly cut off by City Council President Barbara Vidmar when he tried to testify during a public hearing on the zoning of a new development. Our new Council President would not allow the man to speak about the project saying that his points were not germane to the public discussion.

If this development is requesting public funding to pay for part of the project then the citizens of Pueblo should be able to ask questions and make comments at any point throughout this process. It is interesting to note that he was also prevented from speaking on camera since this was a regular televised council meeting. The citizens at home were not allowed to hear his public testimony either. It sure seems like this council only wants free speech to occur during the work session meetings, when the cameras are turned off.

Don't forget, this is the same council that shut down the public's right to televised free speech a month before our municipal election, when they had three major ballot questions pending. The free exchange of ideas in the days leading up to the election was never allowed to occur.

During our last few elections everyone has been saying we need more civility on City Council. I didn't realize that a vote for civility was a vote against a fair and democratic process. I long for the days when we had a few dissenting views on City Council and the people still had a right to free speech!

Chris Nicoll

Council turns off public - Letter to the Editor

2007-11-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

Letter published in the Pueblo Chieftain - Sunday 11-25-2007

Pueblo City Council's recent decision to no longer allow TV coverage of the public forum portion of the council meetings is censorship, plain and simple.

These same politicians who stood on street corners begging for our vote now do not want to face the voting public when we present problems in our community. For whatever reason, once they are elected they suddenly think of themselves as royalty instead of elected public servants. This is at every level of government.

The definition of elected official is still public servant. What part of this do they not understand?
I say to council, it is easy: Listen to those who elected you.

I am not naive and I do understand politics, but it is time we get back to basics. If you are going to get involved in politics, you should be willing to be accountable to those who elected you. Five minutes per voter who exercises his or her privilege to visit with you should not be a problem.

Stand up and show you are accountable for your actions. Stop this censorship. The interested viewing public is intelligent enough to decide the credibility of those who come before you. Just do your job.

Bill Boggs - Pueblo

How did Pueblo citizens lose their right to televised public comment?

2007-11-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

City Council Shuts Down Televised Public Comment Before Election

On September 24th 2007 the Pueblo City Council voted to deny citizens the right to speak during regular televised city council meetings. The ability for citizens to address city council was moved to the work session meetings, which are not televised. This action was taken one month before the municipal election without any opportunity for public input.

The City Council had just placed several controversial issues on the municipal ballot. Dissenting views before the election were silenced as comment was removed from public view. The free exchange of ideas that should occur before any democratic election was brought to a halt by this council's heavy-handed actions!

In a recent article in the Pueblo Chieftain City Council President Judy Weaver dismissed arguments that removing public comment from the television cameras would have a chilling effect on a person's FirstAmendment rights to address their elected officials. "People have tounderstand that this is our meeting being held in public; it's not a public meeting," Weaver said. - September 29 Pueblo Chieftain.

Here are the facts from the public record:

RESOLUTION NO. 11116 was passed by Pueblo City Council September 24th 2007
This measure eliminated your right to speak at regular televised city council meetings during the public forum.
The resolution was presented to council by Mr. Aguilera and seconded by Mrs. Ortegon, who moved to approve the Resolution.
Who voted for this? – Yes Votes: Aguilera, Ortegon, Thurston, Vidmar and Weaver. Motion carried unanimously. Councilmen Occhiato and Atencio were not present and did not get to vote on this measure.

Honey Come Quick! - Political Cartoon

2007-11-27T20:34:00.001-07:00

Are City Council Meetings - Public Meetings?

2007-11-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to address recent comments by Pueblo City Council President Judy Weaver. She has been quoted recently in the Pueblo Chieftain as saying, "People have to understand this is our meeting being held in public; it's not a public meeting." - Pueblo Chieftain September 29th

Colorado’s Sunshine Law contradicts this claim. The following paragraphs come from the Colorado Revised Statutes dealing with open meeting requirements. These requirements clearly apply to the entire state as well as home rule cities such as Pueblo.

Here is what the State Law says:

COLORADO REVISED STATUTES ANNOTATED
TITLE 24. GOVERNMENT—STATE ADMINISTRATION
ARTICLE 6. COLORADO SUNSHINE LAW
PART 4. OPEN MEETINGS LAW
24-6-402. Meetings - open to public.
(1) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Local public body" means any board, committee, commission, authority, or other advisory, policy-making, rule-making, or formally constituted body of any political subdivision of the state and any public or private entity to which a political subdivision, or an official thereof, has delegated a governmental decision-making function but does not include persons on the administrative staff of the local public body.

(b) "Meeting" means any kind of gathering, convened to discuss public business, in person, by telephone, electronically, or by other means of communication.

(c) "Political subdivision of the state" includes, but is not limited to, any county, city, city and county, town, home rule city, home rule county, home rule city and county, school district, special district, local improvement district, special improvement district, or service district.

Pueblo Freedom Rally - October 22nd 2007

2007-11-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

Citizens Protest Pueblo City Council

Televised Public Comments Shut Down Before Election

We want to thank all of the people who attended the Pueblo Freedom Rally at City Hall to protest the City Council's decision to eliminate the televised public comments time at the regular city council meetings. This matter goes well beyond a few of the regulars who attend these meetings. We have heard from a wide variety of community members, from all walks of life. The citizens of Pueblo are upset by council's actions and they want back what's been taken from them!

This man's sign says it all!
"We the people have a right to be heard! The People of Pueblo have a right to hear the comments we make. " - He gets it! Now if only Pueblo City Council would.

Many supporters of free speech attended our rally with numerous creative signs. A variety of protest signs were present. "Ray Ray - Give us back our say!" "Vera Vera - Can You Hear Us?" "Queen Judy, this is our meeting, you work for us." There was even a man on bull horn who was inviting city council to join "our new public comments time" being held in the parking lot.

In the past week, we've met people from all over Pueblo who are upset about this sudden rule change. We've heard from many individuals, neighborhood associations, groups that deal with historic preservation, disabled people, and veterans. One protester in a wheel chair told us last night that they use this time to raise awareness about buildings that were not accessible by wheel chair. Another individual told us there are lots of groups that agree with us but they are concerned that they could lose their city funding if they speak out against council's decision.

Pueblo City Council should realize that we will not go away and we will not be silenced! We prefer to work with them to resolve this matter to roll back this rule change. However, we are prepared to begin collecting signatures to put this matter to the voters of Pueblo! - by Chris Nicoll - Pueblo Citizens for Open Government

Bring Back Our Televised Public Comments

2007-11-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Pueblo City Council's recent rule change to eliminate the public comments section of the regular council session was implemented with the tactical precision of a military coup. Like any well run political takeover, our rights to freedom of speech were snuffed out quickly, quietly and without any opportunity for public input. Then, like some third-world nation in the banana belt, they took control of the television station. After all, no coup worth its salt can go off if you don't silence your opponents by seizing control of the TV station.

The willingness of this council to deny citizens the opportunity to address their city leaders for a few brief minutes at the beginning of the regular council meeting is a sign of pure arrogance. The public forum appears to have become an intolerable burden for some council members who are forced to painfully to listen to members of the community who dare to approach with their tedious comments and problems.

In one bold stroke that lasted only a few minutes, a partial council threw out years of Pueblo tradition and free speech by eliminating our right to speak out and be heard with equal coverage. Dissenting views have been silenced from the public view by pushing them into the non-televised work sessions that nobody ever sees or hears. Allowing these comments to be broadcast over the public access cable network is an important part of the process because many people benefit from listening to the views of their fellow citizens. Without the ability to hear the views of other citizens, then we will only hear the voice of city council. Our tax dollars are paying for this televised access and now we only get half our money's worth and one side of the story.

It should come as no surprise that these arrogant rule changes were adopted without any public input. This measure was passed as a resolution during a single council session and without a public hearing. Since council used a resolution to push this through they are not bound to require a first and second reading, or a public hearing. With only five of seven members present, we didn't even get to be represented by a full city council on this matter.

This change is a major step backwards and presents a serious challenge to freedom of speech in this community. We simply cannot afford to sit back and let this go unchallenged. Unfortunately, if you go and complain at the city council work session, nobody will ever even know about it. Under these rules the old adage: "I'd complain, but who'd listen." takes on a whole new meaning.

Chris Nicoll
Pueblo, CO