Mayor TenHaken says he will provide city board appointees bios ‘in the future’ if we want to see them

FF: 2:36:30

In a blatant disregard for openness and transparency, Paul has not provided city board appointees bios in the past two times they have been on the city council agenda. He did it tonight for the second time.

Councilor Pat Starr asked why those bios are not being provided any more and Paul said that if he wanted to see them he will provide them in the future. Pat reminded the mayor that he asked in an email yesterday for those bios. Paul responded, “From who?” Starr said that he sent an email request to COS Beck, City Clerk Greco and from the council operations manager, to no avail.

Now this is not something that has traditionally happened. I think the last administration started providing the bios when appointees were on the agenda, and Paul continued up until the last two times. Why did they disappear? I don’t know why, and I sent an email to councilors Brekke, Stehly and Starr last week to find out why.

I guess in some kind of weird defiance, the rumor going around is the COS didn’t provide them to Starr because “Scott was requesting them.”

Let me make it clear, when I ask for information, it isn’t for my own satisfaction, it is to post that information on my blog so constituents can see it.

I think it is insane that the administration thinks it is appropriate to stop providing these bios, they may be volunteers, but citizens have a right to know who the people are making these decisions for us, whether they are paid or elected or appointed.

Starr was the only councilor to vote against the appointments tonight. Bravo!

This constant fight for the simplest of transparent actions is getting old.