Letter to the Editor:
Given the usual theatrics employed, our City Council’s Tuesday meetings offer voters a false sense of “public input” for policymakers and bureaucrats. Voters have no time to waste, yet the Council’s usual staged performance seems organized specifically to penalize busy Burbanker voters.
For example, the 45 minutes or more used at the start of each meeting to deploy public awards and recognition to a beholden bureaucratic legion. Such frivolous actions should be done backstage.
Next, Burbank’s Mayors caution those attending the Meeting in person to not orally express their views: “USE JAZZ HANDS only”. And the reasons given for such a restriction of Free Speech? (1) the convenience of timetabled politicians who apparently have better things to do than listen to voters; (2) it permits total control of the room’s televised response via the Burbank Channel TV camera angles and the restriction to JAZZ HANDS means managed silence of the audience,thus giving a misleading impression to Burbank Channel viewers.
Watching the Council Members perform is fascinating, especially when they do show evidence of impatience, anger, boredom and, best of all, total vacuity of intellect. Yet, they all are successful Hollywood-style scenario Directors. That’s their one and only achievement.
Economically hard-pressed Burbank voters must no longer tolerate such deception, intentionally designed deceit!
Richard B. Cathcart
Burbank
Richard B. Cathcart
Burbank
