David Anderson represents the 4th District of Dover City Council.
I am dismayed by Mr. William Faust’s claims about the recent Dover City Council meeting (“Elected officials hide at Dover council meeting”). The majority of his questions were answered, and the remaining questions were referred to staff to answer via email. Some questions, like when the 2023 comprehensive audit — delayed because of a material inaccuracy that was corrected in the city’s favor — would come out, were easy. The report had already been posted and will soon be presented on an agenda (on Tuesday), and the 2024 audit will be ready soon after. The two remaining questions may seem simple to ask, but the steps to control expenses are not one or two steps but a multitude. He understood that himself, which is why he asked that they be placed on an agenda for an answer. That’s unnecessary because the answers can be provided in writing. The agenda is for action items, not questions. Once those questions are answered, he is free to share them with the public. He seems to be published by the Daily State News every two weeks — and lately weekly — so he has a forum for sharing this information. Every department cut its budget requests. Cost savings are mandated. For instance, when the emergency medical service decided midyear to cancel its contract and charge per month what it was charging per year, we had bids as soon as possible and found our new provider, which charged us half the new rate, even though that was still six times the old rate. It saved you hundreds of thousands of dollars. We kept our electric rates down because we bought natural gas contracts in advance, when the prices were low. That is why we have stability and the second-lowest rates in the state. There are many more cost-containment efforts; answering them would have deprived others on the list of their speaking time. That is why we have the staff compile the answers to all but the simpler questions and send them to the citizens who requested the information.
The rules of the public forum are that you must sign up to be guaranteed to speak. The forum is 15 minutes. If members of the public have signed up, I allow everyone who is signed up an opportunity to speak, even if we delay the start of the council meeting. However, no one who has not signed up may speak. If the public hearing segment before the meeting is not expired, I ask if anyone else would like to participate, then we end at the allotted time. The person Mr. Faust references did not sign up, and time expired. Considering that the person, not a resident of Dover, speaks at 75% of the meetings, she is not a stranger to the rules. She decided to shout from the gallery when the meeting was announced closed because it was 6:30 p.m. The open forum was closed. Then, she asked to speak. The start time of the council meeting was announced. Between the end of the open forum and the start of the meeting, I went to the restroom. I was unaware that there was a necessity to seek Mr. Faust’s permission to utilize the restroom. There was no meeting ongoing to lose control of. In the two minutes between meetings, the mayor believed that a person was being disruptive and asked that the conversation be taken outside of the chambers. I did not witness this, but I support it. The council meeting started and proceeded in an orderly fashion, as usual.
We follow the rules. We do not make exceptions to a busy agenda when someone shows up late and decides to speak after it was stated that time was expired. One has to be on time. One can place his/her name on the sign-up sheet in advance by calling the City Clerk’s Office or emailing if he/she is concerned with arriving by 6:15 p.m. I realize that a certain person may have been unhappy that facts were presented that contradict claims being made, but no names were mentioned, just the facts. The forum is available at the next meeting if someone did not make a meeting, or council can be emailed thoughts anytime at cityclerk@dover.de.us. If one person can speak and make claims, another person has the same right to speak after researching those claims. An open forum is not a debate forum. We will not change it into one because that will intimidate people from speaking if, anytime someone says something that someone else does not like, another person can yell and get back on the list or speak after time is expired when he/she is not on the list.
The open forum has been used by a small group of people for divisive political attacks and blatant misinformation. That is sad, but it is their right to say whatever they choose in their three minutes. However, they must sign up to get their three minutes. I will not give special treatment to people who are trying to metaphorically burn the city down. They have to abide by the same rules as our citizens.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
