In the few paragraphs of Claudia Vargas’ recent Inquirer story on the City Commissioners, Al Schmidt disagreed that Philly were upset about his colleague Anthony Clark’s terrible work record. His reasoning had to do with what he’d seen and heard “on the ground,” notably at the City Commissioners’ most recent public meeting.
“We had our public meeting the other day,” Schmidt said, “(there) was no outrage present.”
Pretty much nobody had gone to that meeting. Public attendance consisted of an Inquirer reporter, a photographer and a staffer of the Committee of Seventy. Apparently that’s not uncommon. While attendance of three may have been the low end of the spectrum, the high end of the spectrum doesn’t vary by much.
But that can still change. If you think Clark’s work as a City Commissioner has been awful, you haven’t missed your chance to make it known. The City Commissioners are holding a public meeting Wednesday morning at 11 at 520 N. Delaware Avenue (Spring Garden and Delaware Ave). It’s happening on the sixth floor. They’re holding another public meeting next Wednesday, too. Same time, same place.
These are like their versions of City Council sessions. But they’re not long. The meetings last about 10 to 15 minutes. The City Commissioners vote on any official actions they wish to take, from decisions about personnel to polling locations.
There’s also room for public comment, usually at the beginning. Not long ago, for instance, a man asked for a voter’s handbook to be made in Spanish. The City Commissioners agreed to make one. It was a case of ask and receive.
If you so wish, you could ask Clark a few questions. He may rarely be in his office, but he usually attends all the meetings. So tomorrow you’ll likely be able to tell him how he’s doing face-to-face.
[pedestal-event id=”31655″]
