Council President Patrick Keefe said he will continue to rely on Council subcommittees to hold extensive discussions on issues coming before the council, but he will welcome more feedback from speakers at the regular council meetings.
One of the trademarks of former Council President Arthur Guinasso’s tenure was an emphasis on the work of the subcommittees in preparing reports on issues that would ultimately come before the Council for a vote.
That style worked well and colleagues seemed to welcome the subcommittee’s new direction that resulted in concise summations by the subcommittee chair – and, of course, shorter council meetings that didn’t get bogged down by repetitive exchanges.
“Everyone has their style,†said Keefe about his predecessor’s successful reign as president in 2019. “Council President Guinasso used his committees for good, thoughtful discussions on issues and it was effective. I will be open to some more initial feedback from residents if the attendance in the Council Chamber warrants it.â€
Keefe has announced the membership of the Council’s ten subcommittees for 2020. Each councillor serves as a chairperson of a subcommittee.
“I do expect our councillors to attend subcommittee meetings when they are looking for more information on topics that we will be discussing and voting on as a council at our regularly scheduled meetings [that are usually held every other Monday at 6 p.m.â€
