Last night’s Columbia Borough Council “meeting of the whole” was another marathon picture of governance as the entire borough council, the mayor, the borough manager and the borough financial officer mashed their way through a “committee-packed” agenda. Four citizens and a recorder witnessed  the meeting’s discussions; two representatives from media recorded them as the meeting began at 6:00 pm and lasted until 9:43 pm.

Agenda

EDITOR’S NOTE – An Opinion: Only those who attended the meeting got to see the “personal agendas” that several of the councilors brought to the meeting. Despite several of the more lucid and logical contributions of the borough manager, the mayor and some councilors – especially in the area of fiscal restraint in the face of the looming crises of pensions and escalating costs – those in attendance heard comments like this: “ … they’ve been raping this borough for years.”

Only those in attendance got the chance to watch the polarized “we/they” commentary uttered by councilors who pledged to work for “all 10,300 citizens.” Only those in attendance saw the  display of an apparent lack of understanding of laws and statutory governance.

Again, only four citizens came to witness government in action. Tonight, Columbia is holding an anti-bullying informational session at the High School auditorium at 6:30 pm. Hopefully, a hundred times more citizens will show up for this important community-building confab.