The meeting took place at the San Dimas’ Council Chambers. The people who were present at the meeting included Mayor Curtis Morris, designate-Mayor Denis Bertone, and three other council members. Besides, several members of the council staff were also present including City Manager Blaine Michaelis, City Attorney Kenneth Brown, Director of Public Works, Director of Parks and Recreation, and Deputy City Clerk among other officials. Several citizens were seated at the audience’s gallery. Most of the people in the audience were present as mere observers, although others had come to push for certain agendas. During the meeting, there were no absences that could have derailed the council’s business. The meeting began when the mayor called the council to order and led the rest of the attendants in the flag salute.
The items that were on the agenda on that day included the usual pre-planned businesses such as the addressing of the items on the consent calendar and recognitions. Right after the meeting started, the California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) presented an award to the Senior Centre International Cultural Club (SCICC). The award was presented by Erica Rodriguez (of the CPRS) to Victoria Lopez (of the SCICC). When accepting the award, Lopez took the opportunity to recognize Roma Dhingra, an honorary member of the SCICC.
The next part of the meeting involved inviting members of the audience to address the Council on any matter that was not covered on the day’s agenda. According to the council’s laws, such a matter cannot be discussed, but it can be fixed as an agenda for a later date (City of San Dimas Website). The audience member who rose with a matter of this nature was Amy Crows, the manager of San Dimas Library. Miss Crows were just giving the Council Assembly updates on events that had earlier been planned for the library.
The council’s business moved on to the main agendas. The first order of business was an acknowledgment of the positive work that the council had earlier done on the San Dimas Dog Park. Afterward, the council sought to enact all pending resolutions using a single motion. Nobody was opposed to this strategy, and the council proceeded to vote for these resolutions. All the resolutions were unanimously passed with a ‘yes’ vote from all the voting members. The meeting then moved to agenda five, which covered ‘other matters.’ The first of such matters involved a discussion concerning the appropriation of funds for conducting preliminary works on the construction of two crosswalks within San Dimas. This discussion involved the council’s employees, the mayor, council members, and prospective contractors. Finally, one Council Member proposed a motion for the appropriation of $13,000 for the sidewalk project. This motion was unanimously passed. After two other agendas, the meeting was adjourned around 8.30 P.M.
I spent around one and a half hours at the council meeting and I found it to be quite progressive. The mayor looked more business-like than he had been during campaign meetings. What was surprising was how resolutions were passed fast with little to no opposition. I had gone into the meeting expecting heated debates and strong opposition against certain resolutions. However, none of the issues that were under discussion produced any heated-debates or opposing viewpoints. In my observation, most of the elected officials looked tired and unmotivated. Most of the audience was also non-responsive to the ongoing business.
Works Cited
City of San Dimas Website. San Dimas City Council, 2014. Web.