Teaching Piano Lessons for 80 years. At 95-years old, Elba Ruilova still teaches piano lessons four afternoons a week from her west Tampa home. She began teaching when she was 15.
TAMPA —Some members of the City Council wants to hear what you, the public, have to say, just maybe not so often.
On Thursday the council toyed with, then abandoned, a plan to shut out public comment at its monthly workshops.
The council had been considering letting the public comment during these informal sessions only if it decided to make an exception.
Neighborhood leaders rebelled.
"I'm appalled to think that my public officials don't want to hear from me," Susan Long, president of the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association, told the council.
"I am shocked that today we are talking about silencing the people," Michelle Patty said.
Council members Mary Mulhern and Tom Scott had argued most strongly for the measure, saying workshops allow them to talk to each other without violating the Sunshine Law.
"There is so much pressure from the public," Mulhern said. "That was part of the problem. We could not have a discussion where we were not having the public pressuring us."
Mulhern also noted that many issues already go through two public hearings before a final vote.
"I don't need to hear from you three times," she said.
Still, she and Scott joined the rest of the council members in voting to allow 30 minutes of public comment at the end of every workshop.
Under the law, workshops allow elected leaders to have a more informal discussion among themselves.
They said citizens have plenty of time to weigh in at regular meetings, where council members will be voting.
In other action, the council had a heated discussion about whether to ask voters if they want to limit campaign contributions to City Council candidates.
Council member John Dingfelder first suggested this last year, after winning re-election in a campaign where he and his strongest challenger raised over $100,000.
But his proposal received little support from council members. So he organized a group of residents to press the idea. They came up with a plan that, among other things, includes reducing allowable contributions from $500 to $200 and eliminating contributions from corporations.
But council member Charlie Miranda said campaigns are expensive to run, and candidates can decide themselves if they want to limit contributions.
Dingfelder's proposal appeared dead when the council voted 5-2 against asking the legal department to research ballot language for a public referendum. Only council member Linda Saul-Sena voted with Dingfelder.
But at the end of the meeting, Mulhern brought it up again, suggesting that they schedule a workshop to discuss it further.
Dingfelder pressed Joseph Caetano to cast the fourth vote necessary to schedule the workshop.
"How many times does something have to lose here to lose?" Miranda snapped.
But Dingfelder got his fourth vote, and Miranda immediately left the chambers, visibly irritated.
After the meeting was adjourned, Caetano said he was confused about what he was voting on and would ask for a revote at the council's next meeting.
Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3401.
[Last modified: Apr 17, 2008 11:48 PM]
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