Transparency, Clary Style

Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary has something to say about transparency, and in typical Clary fashion, he's taken to Facebook to say it:

These are my eye glasses. If I don't have them at a restaurant, I have to order by pictures. If I don't have them in the morning, I cannot tell the time.

They have a certain style to them, but their main role is to help me get information.

We need more than just glasses, though. We need the information to be made available. When it comes to government, we need transparency.

In response to public requests, I have set up a new Facebook page for me to communicate city information directly with residents. It is "Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary."
By contrast, the "Hendersonville City Hall" page on Facebook will continue to be controlled by staff, as it has been for several months.
Recently some members of the public complained about the City Hall page's lack of information. Since I don't have access to post to that page, I am creating the new page, allowing me to communicate directly with residents.
The complaints about the City Hall page had merit. I appreciate the people who brought them to our attention. They recognized that city staff has withheld information about Covid-19, SBA loans, and the processes for businesses to re-open.
We have had similar problems with other city media: Channel Three, the city's YouTube channel, and the city web site. Many recent items that I submitted for publication were altered, delayed, and ignored by staff.
Transparency has been important to me since I came into office. I have answered 7,200 emails from residents, sent 42 monthly newsletters to more than 4,400 people, and taken 650 phone calls from taxpayers.
I have met with thousands of residents at their homes, giving them the opportunity to ask questions about city operations. Frequently, I speak to church and civic groups.
This new Facebook page, “Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary”, is another step in city transparency. I hope you find it helpful.

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BOMA Time

Alderman Russ Edwards is developing a proposal to limit the time of BOMA meetings -- meetings which routinely run past midnight.

Here's more from his Facebook post on the matter:

I’m introducing an ordinance to BOMA in an effort to expedite our meetings. This is really to start the discussion of how the BOMA meetings can be run more efficiently. As you may know, we consistently go until 1:00 a.m. The city and its citizens are not getting the best out of its city leaders when we do this.

Part of my proposal, which I’m not completely sold on yet, is to keep citizens comments on agenda items only. This would be consistent with most municipalities’ rules. Most city leaders I speak with are in shock that anyone can come talk about anything at our meetings. I’m still on the fence about this and want to get feedback before I move forward on it.

Please keep in mind that I’m happy to discuss any issue with anyone. My cell number and email address are on the city’s website. I return all my calls and I read all my emails. The best way to air your grievances or try to get an issue resolved is to contact your aldermen or the mayor instead of going to the full BOMA.

I agree that 90% of the problem with inefficiency in our meetings is us. I would like for us to follow the Robert’s Rules of Order more strictly and possibly limit the aldermen’s speaking times. Also, we should have more issues resolved in committees so they don’t have to be discussed at the full BOMA meetings.

A stricter BOMA agenda is in everyone’s best interest. It’s not fair to the citizens who want to attend the meetings to have to sit there for 5.5 hours. If they want to watch the meetings on YouTube it usually takes them three days. It’s also not good for the city employees who have to attend the BOMA meetings to be there until 1:00 a.m. after working all day and have to come back the next morning.

Sorry for the long post, but time management and efficiency are a passion of mine. The inefficiency in our meetings really drives me crazy. I do want to hear from the citizens and I enjoy being an alderman. My favorite part has been helping constituents with problems when they contact me. I’ll be happy to answer questions about this proposed ordinance.

What do you think? Should citizens comments be limited to only agenda items, similar to what happens in other cities or at the County Commission? Let us know: newshendersonville@gmail.com


For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews