[Speed Gibson,
Wednesday January 10, 2007 at 8:26pm]
Bang! Zoom!
Our new Brooklyn Center Mayor did not disappoint in his debut City Council meeting this week. Our anarchist Council Member had what promises to be the first of many long Monday evenings for her.
The highlight was the agenda item to approve a new contract with one of our labor unions. When the anarchist began questioning some details and asking for comparisons to other employee groups, Mayor Tim Willson asked her to stay on point. For those not familiar with such proceedings, such approvals are basically up/down decisions. Failure to ratify or the addition of amendments generally sends the entire agreement back to the bargaining table. As such, comparisons to other groups or general discussion is pointless. The time to get what you want in a contract is when you begin negotiations, not at the end. Plus, this is bargaining in bad faith. Strike one.
When she tried again, Willson quietly, firmly, and immediately ruled her out of order. "You're out of order!" she returned, clearly upset, relinquishing the floor. Strike two.
The third time, Willson asked her if she had an amendment, which she promptly made. A long silence ensued, waiting for the second to her amendment that never came. They used to come from her argumentative, loquacious ally, but she lost in November. Strike three. She gave up.
The motion to approve carried, 4 to 1 of course.
The highlight was the agenda item to approve a new contract with one of our labor unions. When the anarchist began questioning some details and asking for comparisons to other employee groups, Mayor Tim Willson asked her to stay on point. For those not familiar with such proceedings, such approvals are basically up/down decisions. Failure to ratify or the addition of amendments generally sends the entire agreement back to the bargaining table. As such, comparisons to other groups or general discussion is pointless. The time to get what you want in a contract is when you begin negotiations, not at the end. Plus, this is bargaining in bad faith. Strike one.
When she tried again, Willson quietly, firmly, and immediately ruled her out of order. "You're out of order!" she returned, clearly upset, relinquishing the floor. Strike two.
The third time, Willson asked her if she had an amendment, which she promptly made. A long silence ensued, waiting for the second to her amendment that never came. They used to come from her argumentative, loquacious ally, but she lost in November. Strike three. She gave up.
The motion to approve carried, 4 to 1 of course.