Neighborhood Councils Move Forward; Smith Still Asleep at the Switch
A City Council committee recommended Tuesday the adoption of a plan that would allow the City's Neighborhood Councils to directly submit proposals for consideration to the City Council, marking a significant step forward for the City's experiment with citizen democracy.Waking from a slumber however was City Councilman "Sleeping" Greig Smith who insists that in exchange for this "privilege" the voluntary panels should comply with the same personal financial disclosures as elected Council members who are paid more than the average business executive and receive massive perks on the public dime.
In the video below however, when Greig was running for the seat, Smith said he was in favor of Neighborhood Councils having "real decision making power" and that "Neighborhood Councils and not some downtown bureaucrat knows what is best for their community." What developer or special interest changed your mind Councilman?
By the way, are you keeping your office open on nights and weekends?
Labels: greig smith, neighborhood councils
Posted by Michael Higby @ 9/10/2008 09:00:00 AM
14 Comments:
Q.: What developer or special interest changed your mind Councilman?
A.: How many can I list? (to COS) Please call your uncle for some help on this answer.
I think anyone who is elected for a neighborhood council position should file a full disclosure report after all they are receiving tax payers money.
BTW, can a neighborhood council board be recalled? Can we start a petition to recalled a certain nc? Filing grievances do not work.
Just curious.
NC Board members should definitely have to file financials if they're expecting any authority especially over Land Use matters. Conflict of interest potential = huge.
More to the point, most people in the NC area don't even know WHO these people are, or what decisions they're entitled to make. Like when someone wants to appeal some zoning thing or get a variance for their house or a driveway, whatever and they have to go to the NC for approval.
Does the NC have final word, or do they just make recommendations -- and if so to whom?
Some of them in my NC act all-important but no one elected them other than they're the only ones who show up for meetings and so they keep electing each other on a rotating basis for different positions. A little clique that has "no money for outreach" they say so no one knows what they do.
What the city/DONE needs to do is make sure the neighborhood people know about these often secret NCs.
Maybe .001% of the public reads any political blogs or knows what goes on locally that's not in the Times.
It depends on if every single grievance is filed by the same person and they're basically all just personality conflicts and not real issues.
I think you're looking to de-certify them as opposed to recall them. Good luck with that one. If it's true that 99% of the people they represent don't they are being represented, then how will you get enough signatures to recall them?
I've got a great idea. How about you, the grievance filer, figure out a way to get along with everybody else on the board. They all don't love each other but they get along. You, on the other hand, who files grievance after grievance (taking cues from your best friend) after not being appointed will never get anywhere because you aren't willing to learn and grow. You're still stuck in the 2002 stages of NC's, while believing you're aware. Wake up - you silly former PTA Parliamentarian you.
3:35
What a crock. I thought NC's were only ADVISORY. If that is so, why on Earth would you want to punish volunteers and bog them down with paperwork just so that your councilman can ignore them?
Does that guy have a lisp or something? Some kind of speech impediment?
Re: keeping his office open nights and weekends...
He doesn't dare do that! He would be guilty of wasting energy and contributing to global warming (as if enough of taxpayers' energy hasn't been wasted already)!
There's something about people that keep them away from organized groups- and it's about the same for NC's- they may be AWARE they exist, but, (1.) don't know what exactly they are there for, and,
(2.) do not trust them to bother with them at all.
I agree with the post that describes some NC operations as, more or less, being conducted in their own world.
And I DO think "land use" is one area of a need for "disclosure" that I earlier thought was o.k., but not now, there is too much to be gained by manipulation.
It is bad enough that the council members manipulate the property deals and variances- and they get paid on top of it all- but NC volunteers don't need to earn their "jr. corrupt politician" badges while serving on the NCs.
In E.Rock/Huizar's CD
I was looking for an insightful conversation on how one should deal with an NC. No, I have not filed any grievances and not had children, not a PTA member.
BONC? is it any better than DONE? Not asking to decertify an NC, I'm asking as voters do we have the right to recall these NC Board Members for not doing their jobs and wasting our taxpayers money?
No personality involved, when they ran, they promised to do a job and they haven't. Simple question? Sorry, do I need to put my lipstick on?
greig smith rocks. no fair dragging up a 2 yr old video.
I got him good, back then, but perhaps he's just the hardest working council member, and it showed.
who's the least hardest worker? jack Weiss. he had a constituent led recall didn't he?
its so shady down there it took 6 yrs to get the fee waivers shut down off the commercial events
Smith is the brightest light on the Council...if he closes his eyes for a few moments it's because he works incredibly long hours not just representing his district, but attending dozens of local events every week and in his spare time he is a Reserve Police Officer! Smith is miles above most of the other Council members, so shut up and pick on someone your own size.
7:24, I'm taller than he is, outweigh him, and work a double-shift. If he needs to sleep, he should do it elsewhere.
for starters greig smith is a crook in the pocket of developers and will go against the community at every turn and the neighborhood councils are the puppets of the LA council. a few of you got it right they do not want your input because you'll ruin their little party this why we need citywide reform if we cannot get a mayor who will expose the truth the only other option is to break with LA. you can count on a loss of services and increases in all of your utilities they expect you to do and say nothing!
we need a reformer who can begin the changes necessary to engage people on the street. start with laura chick for mayor!!
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