Posts tagged Council Chambers
Capt Underpants don’t want no Pledges of Allegiance to no America he doesn’t believe it
0February 18, 2012
“David Harrison, who has defended those issued camping tickets, responded to the most recent decision to eliminate jury trials for those issued camping tickets by saying, “What’s next?”
There is an assorted list of fascist policy decisions, laws and ordinances in recent years coming from of our Boulder City Council, that question resonated with me, What’s next?
How about a seminar about violence in the workplace where our City Attorney declares not all the public speakers who go beyond the 2 minute rule are threats?
Now, councilman Karakehian comes up with a novel idea, let’s pledge allegiance to the flag before every council meeting.
Councilwoman KC Becker responds that if people do not want to “pledge” before meetings, “I’d be interested in hearing why.”
Therein lies the problem.
Pledging, “Under God,” or under anything at all, even refusing to stand! like me, those who have been taught to questioning authority? The act is repugnant.
Have you ever been ostracized and harassed?
I refused to pledge allegiance in middle school and high school in the late 1970′s and early 1980′s.
My parents taught me well.
Ironically, my homeroom teachers both taught history and I took a ruler on the knuckles or a slap on the head from time to time, just for not standing up while other recited “The Pledge.”
The purpose of the pledge seems to divides us all into the patriotic vs. the non-patriotic, the believers vs. the non-believers.
How to escape? While many in the Council Chambers stand to recite cobweb loyalties and factitious duties.
Some of us feel that pledging allegiance to the wall is unpatriotic, especially, when those leading the pledge have forgotten to uphold the “with liberty and justice for all” part.
The small “violations” of that pledge itself, camping tickets, curfews… are examples of a reoccurring problem of our Boulder City Council.
We’ve got a long way to go, baby.
Some of us feel we are going backwards.
Must we must support anything, however bad, because we were born or live in a particular place?
Why?
What is a pledge or promise of allegiance?
Curiously, such lessons in supposed good citizenship in the form of reciting a pledge of allegiance are rarely, iever, accompanied by deeper introspection.
So, it should be no surprise that reciting “The Pledge” has been proposed by members of the Boulder City Council.
What’s next?
”
Seth Brigham
3383 Madison Avenue
W225
Boulder, Colorado
80303
720-298-6711
Seth Brigham is a sometime contributor to Boulder Channel 1 News
God bless Seth and God bless the United States of America
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Boulder wavering on unpopular closure rules for public property?
0December 27, 2011
City to hold public hearing on proposed park closure rule Jan. 3
The City of Boulder will hold a public hearing on a proposed rule that would close parks, parkways, recreation areas and open spaces from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly. The hearing will occur during the already scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012. The meeting is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and will be held in Council Chambers, 1777 Broadway.
The public hearing will give community members an additional opportunity to express their views about the proposed rule. The hearing also will provide a forum for council members to ask questions of the city manager and city attorney and provide some direction in light of feedback they have received from their constituents.
The city manager proposed the nighttime closure rule on Dec. 16 because of increasing concerns about safety and health risks associated with encampments and other activities that occur in these locations after dark. The rule would not apply to individuals passing through the affected areas on foot or bicycle – or to events that have been approved through the city’s permitting process. Nor would it prohibit lawful activity, including constitutionally protected activity and political protests, during the remaining 18 hours of the day, between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Unlike most public hearings, council is not currently considering an ordinance related to park closures. The discussion that occurs, however, is likely to shape the city manager’s decision about how to proceed with the rule she has proposed under authority granted to her by Boulder Revised Code.
The decision to hold a public hearing was made today during a Council Agenda Committee meeting. The Council Agenda Committee includes city staff and three council members who look ahead to upcoming meeting agendas and determine how to make the sessions as efficient and productive as possible. Committee participants agreed that a public hearing would result in a more focused discussion, allowing for council questions to be informed by public comment and a staff presentation.
“We recognize that this is an important decision for our community, and the committee felt that this additional opportunity for public input would be valuable,” City Manager Jane S. Brautigam said. “I am looking forward to hearing the perspectives of community members and City Council as we work together to address important health and safety issues.”
In addition to the public hearing, the city has been collecting written comments as part of a 15-day public comment period. Written comments are being accepted by email at parksclosurerule@bouldercolorado.gov or by US mail at Parks Closure Rule, City of Boulder Box 791, Boulder, CO, 80306, until 5 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2012.
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Survey shows Boulder voters support creation of a city-owned electric utility by a wide margin
0August 1, 2011
by Ron Baird, news editor
in News
Seventy-one percent of City of Boulder voters indicated that they either strongly support or support municipalization, according to the results of a statistically valid telephone survey conducted last month. The results were made public by the city today in advance of an important council meeting tomorrow night.
Other key findings include:
Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said the city would be better at offering renewable sources of energy and reducing carbon emissions than Xcel Energy.
A smaller, but majority, percentage (57 percent) thought the city could do a better job at finding innovative solutions to energy problems than Xcel Energy.
Xcel Energy, on the other hand, scored higher (67 percent) in providing reliable energy and (52 percent) in keeping monthly energy bills stable.
Reliability, service, control, energy sources and cost all received high marks as community priorities. Three of these were weighted against each other – low cost, increased renewable sources and having a say in utility decisions. Increasing renewable sources of energy were considered the prevailing priority among these by a majority of residents.
Sixty-five percent of those surveyed indicated they support the issuance of bonds to purchase Xcel’s system. Seventy-seven percent said they would either strongly support or somewhat support the extension/expansion of either the Climate Action Plan or Utility Occupation Tax to cover interim legal and engineering expenses necessary to determine final acquisition and start-up costs.
Ninety-one percent of those surveyed said they would support an increase of between 5 percent to “as much as it takes” in their monthly electric bills to reduce carbon emissions and/or increase renewable sources of energy.
Voters were even more likely to support the creation of a city-owned electric utility if there was a possibility of spending limits, a re-evaluation of final costs before a decision is made about whether to issue bonds and rates within 10 percent of those offered by Xcel Energy. Education about the existence of the 29 other locally-owned utilities in Colorado also made a positive difference.
“The decision our community makes regarding our energy future will be a historic one. These results show that the City of Boulder has listened carefully to our community as we have set our objectives and studied our energy supply options,” City Manager Jane S. Brautigam said. “While we are on the track that many voters support, we also know that taking a measured and prudent approach to this analysis is crucial. We pledge to continue working responsibly and objectively to understand the potential impacts and benefits to all segments of our community.”
The survey, conducted by National Research Center Inc. in Boulder, reached 1,265 registered voters and resulted in 400 completed responses. The response rate of 32 percent was one of the biggest the survey firm has seen in recent years. The results have a margin of error of +/-4.5 percent. The survey occurred between July 6 and July 18.
Tomorrow night’s council meeting will begin at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 2, in Council Chambers, 1777 Broadway. Elected officials are expected to hear a brief presentation about the survey findings and ask questions before discussing and then voting on ballot language related to how Boulder gets it energy in the future. There will be an opportunity for public input. The decisions council makes at this meeting are expected to form the basis for a third – and final – reading of ballot language on Tuesday, Aug. 16. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The complete survey report is available at http://www.boulderenergyfuture.com.
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City Announces Library Director Finalists, Invites Public to Meet Candidates
0April 8, 2011
BOU
LDER – The City of Boulder today announced that four finalists have been selected from a nationwide search for the Boulder Public Library director. The finalists were selected from 26 applicants during the extended search.
“Our extended search for a library director enabled us to consider 78 candidates. We believe these finalists are prepared to lead a complex organization like our library system and its performing arts center,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “Each of the finalists has significant library and management experience.”
The city will conduct a final round of interviews following a public presentation by each candidate, and a community reception for members of the public who wish to meet the candidates.
Members of the community are invited on Sunday, April 17, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to hear the candidates’ perspectives on balancing innovation and tradition in a public library context. The presentations will be held in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway. A public reception to meet the candidates will follow from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the lobby.
Finalists for the Boulder Public Library director are:
Ann Kling, assistant deputy director for Public Services, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, NY
Valerie Maginnis, director of Library and Cultural Services, City of Mission Viejo, CA
Jennifer Miles, acting director, Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO
Donna Walker, manager, Neighborhood Libraries, Outreach Services, Child and Family Library Services, Arapahoe Library District, Centennial, CO
Information about the candidates, as well as comment cards, will be available at the public presentations and reception on April 17.
The City of Boulder posted the position in November 2010 and extended the search for a library director in February 2011. The recruitment firm Peckham and McKenney assisted in the nationwide search for the Boulder Public Library director. The city anticipates announcing the selected candidate in May.
