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2 major surprising events tonight! Both the Mayor Heidi Omerza and the whole City Council voiced/voted against Green issues and figuratively put Park and Recreation Board at the bottom of commission(er) rankings.
First of all, 30 minutes into the meeting (YouTube clip), Mayor Hedi Omerza publicly chastised Council Member Adam Bisbee and the Park and Recreation Board for the last sentences in their unapproved minutes of their October 21st meeting (unapproved = draft).
Unfortunately, minutes of many commissions meetings are submitted that are not reviewed or approved before posting in the Council packets, sometimes an hour or so before the Council meeting. Do the Chairs of those commissions even review the drafts before posted publicly as unapproved minutes or draft? There have been embarrassing mistakes in unapproved minutes, as mentioned on this website. Only approved minutes should be posted publicly. Do not blame the secretaries taking the minutes. Most are not professionally trained much less paid for typing up minutes. “Mistakes happen when people are undertrained.” Blame those who continually allow unapproved Commission minutes and drafts being posted before review.
If the Mayor, the City Clerk Administrator Harold Langowski, or the Planning & Zoning Administrator Scott Kochendorfer had issues with the unapproved October 21st minutes, they should have discussed issues privately with Council Member Adam Bisbee and/or the Park & Rec Chair BEFORE the Council meeting. If the City Clerk/Administrator Harold Langowski or the Planning & Zoning Administrator Scott Kochendorfer had issues, they should NOT have just posted the minutes. Did they not read the unapproved minutes or was this a set up? Did any of them look at a recording of Park & Rec meeting to better understand what the Park & Rec Commissioners were trying to express? Did they compare the recording with the minutes? Oh, that’s right, Park & Rec meetings are not recorded by the City for easy fee-free public access. FYI: The Mayor and others know YouTubes of Park & Rec meetings are posted on this website.
FM Note: There was is no reason for the Mayor to chastise a Council Member or a Commission publicly. The Mayor never publicly acknowledged/addressed bullying and other inappropriate behaviors by commissioners in Council Chambers or at commission meetings that I pointed out back in 2023. She never publicly chastised any other Commissioners during Council meetings before. Al Forsman and Paul Kess commented too in a kinder way, but why was there a public reprimand?
FM Note: The Mayor often reminds Council, City Hall and the public that she is a Kindergarten teacher. Council Members are to behave like good little boys and girls. I know of no teacher whose behavior would be considered acceptable if they reprimanded a student in front of the whole school. Teachers are supposed to talk to students privately about “behavior issues.” Adam Bisbee is an adult, not a Kindergartner. Adam Bisbee is worthy of respect, as an individual and as a Council Member, a team member. There should be no power plays at Council meetings, no politics. A discussion should have been conducted, not a reprimand.
The Mayor’s behavior and Council attempts for kinder follow-up comments demonstrated reasons why the public does not feel comfortable appearing before Council, serving on Commissions, or running for office. Whatever the intent, this was definitely not a “welcoming moment.” The Mayor needs to try harder being kind and understanding.
There is no Green in the Green Team
Secondly, approximately 51 minutes into the meeting, the City of Ely recommends creating a Green Team that does not include Green members. See the recommendation and email from the City Planning & Zoning Administrator. Why was Park & Rec excluded from automatic representation, a seat on the Green Team? Why wasn’t the Park & Rec Board even included in the discussions about a Green Team? Listen to the examples how Park & Rec Board could take a minor subservient role. For example, Park & Rec Members could just show up to an open public meeting of the Green Team. Park & Rec Members could apply just like any resident OR non-resident to be on the Green Team.
Not only is the Green Team a sub-committee instead of a full committee, there is nothing in writing presented to Council about its purpose or which committee is the overarching committee or group that it reports to. Meeting quarterly is basically saying the sub-committee is to have no real power or impact. It’s for show only, a political game.
from Nov 12th Council agenda
Note that being part of the GreenSteps Cities via establishing a nice-sounding Green Team should be more than just filling out paperwork. City Hall and the Mayor keep referring to paperwork, we just need to fill out more papers to get a higher rating. There are many GreenStep Cities programs that involve nature, a sustainable environment, working with community members, education, and kids. That’s whatPark & Rec is for. That’s what the Park & Rec is currently doing, the only commission doing all of these things. Why is Park & Rec excluded from the Green Team?
City Council Nov 12 – not welcome
2 major surprising events tonight! Both the Mayor Heidi Omerza and the whole City Council voiced/voted against Green issues and figuratively put Park and Recreation Board at the bottom of commission(er) rankings.
First of all, 30 minutes into the meeting (YouTube clip), Mayor Hedi Omerza publicly chastised Council Member Adam Bisbee and the Park and Recreation Board for the last sentences in their unapproved minutes of their October 21st meeting (unapproved = draft).
Unfortunately, minutes of many commissions meetings are submitted that are not reviewed or approved before posting in the Council packets, sometimes an hour or so before the Council meeting. Do the Chairs of those commissions even review the drafts before posted publicly as unapproved minutes or draft? There have been embarrassing mistakes in unapproved minutes, as mentioned on this website. Only approved minutes should be posted publicly. Do not blame the secretaries taking the minutes. Most are not professionally trained much less paid for typing up minutes. “Mistakes happen when people are undertrained.” Blame those who continually allow unapproved Commission minutes and drafts being posted before review.
If the Mayor, the City Clerk Administrator Harold Langowski, or the Planning & Zoning Administrator Scott Kochendorfer had issues with the unapproved October 21st minutes, they should have discussed issues privately with Council Member Adam Bisbee and/or the Park & Rec Chair BEFORE the Council meeting. If the City Clerk/Administrator Harold Langowski or the Planning & Zoning Administrator Scott Kochendorfer had issues, they should NOT have just posted the minutes. Did they not read the unapproved minutes or was this a set up? Did any of them look at a recording of Park & Rec meeting to better understand what the Park & Rec Commissioners were trying to express? Did they compare the recording with the minutes? Oh, that’s right, Park & Rec meetings are not recorded by the City for easy fee-free public access. FYI: The Mayor and others know YouTubes of Park & Rec meetings are posted on this website.
FM Note: There was is no reason for the Mayor to chastise a Council Member or a Commission publicly. The Mayor never publicly acknowledged/addressed bullying and other inappropriate behaviors by commissioners in Council Chambers or at commission meetings that I pointed out back in 2023. She never publicly chastised any other Commissioners during Council meetings before. Al Forsman and Paul Kess commented too in a kinder way, but why was there a public reprimand?
FM Note: The Mayor often reminds Council, City Hall and the public that she is a Kindergarten teacher. Council Members are to behave like good little boys and girls. I know of no teacher whose behavior would be considered acceptable if they reprimanded a student in front of the whole school. Teachers are supposed to talk to students privately about “behavior issues.” Adam Bisbee is an adult, not a Kindergartner. Adam Bisbee is worthy of respect, as an individual and as a Council Member, a team member. There should be no power plays at Council meetings, no politics. A discussion should have been conducted, not a reprimand.
The Mayor’s behavior and Council attempts for kinder follow-up comments demonstrated reasons why the public does not feel comfortable appearing before Council, serving on Commissions, or running for office. Whatever the intent, this was definitely not a “welcoming moment.” The Mayor needs to try harder being kind and understanding.
There is no Green in the Green Team
Secondly, approximately 51 minutes into the meeting, the City of Ely recommends creating a Green Team that does not include Green members. See the recommendation and email from the City Planning & Zoning Administrator. Why was Park & Rec excluded from automatic representation, a seat on the Green Team? Why wasn’t the Park & Rec Board even included in the discussions about a Green Team? Listen to the examples how Park & Rec Board could take a minor subservient role. For example, Park & Rec Members could just show up to an open public meeting of the Green Team. Park & Rec Members could apply just like any resident OR non-resident to be on the Green Team.
Not only is the Green Team a sub-committee instead of a full committee, there is nothing in writing presented to Council about its purpose or which committee is the overarching committee or group that it reports to. Meeting quarterly is basically saying the sub-committee is to have no real power or impact. It’s for show only, a political game.
Note that being part of the GreenSteps Cities via establishing a nice-sounding Green Team should be more than just filling out paperwork. City Hall and the Mayor keep referring to paperwork, we just need to fill out more papers to get a higher rating. There are many GreenStep Cities programs that involve nature, a sustainable environment, working with community members, education, and kids. That’s whatPark & Rec is for. That’s what the Park & Rec is currently doing, the only commission doing all of these things. Why is Park & Rec excluded from the Green Team?
https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/page/about-us