Slog - Comments on School Closure http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure Open-government activist, and self-styled attorney, Chris Clifford, will be arguing tomorrow morning in King County Superior court (in his lawsuit against the Seattle Pubic School District and all 15 members of the Community Advisory Committee) that the committee violated the state Open Meetings Act by holding multiple closed meetings over the Memorial Day holiday weekend to hammer out its school closure plan. From the conclusion of Clifford's complaint: "If allowed to do this, other jurisdictions will hide decision making within the confines of appointed 'advisory' committees. The public will loose [sic] control of those devices created by them, and created... Copyright 2007 Tue, 20 Jun 2006 15:55:59 -0800 Tue, 27 Jun 2006 23:59:55 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Sean What does this guy want the school district to do, rent out Safeco field for every damn meeting they hold in which a decision might be made?

We live in a republic. Get over your control issues and let our elected representatives do their job. The alternative is an expensive and paralyzed bureaucracy that serves no one.

]]> Sean http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377296 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377296 News Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:29:23 -0800 Comment by Napoleon XIII Why do you hate democracy?

]]> Napoleon XIII http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377346 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377346 News Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:59:12 -0800 Comment by annie let's hope the guy's lawyering is better than his spelling.

]]> annie http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377446 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377446 News Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:20:13 -0800 Comment by Josh Feit Annie,
Maybe he means loose control, as in, free up control, or give it away to secret committees. Maybe...?

]]> Josh Feit http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377486 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377486 News Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:37:02 -0800 Comment by Sean "Why do you hate democracy?"

Democracy, strictly defined, is an aweful way to run any group of people with more than a hundred members.

Democracy means too many cooks. Democracy means the mob rules. Democracy means an absence of leadership.

The initiative process is the closest thing we have to real democracy, and it has produced far more bad than good.

The founding fathers hated democracy so much that they created a republic.

This, Napoleon, is why I hate democracy.

]]> Sean http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377520 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377520 News Tue, 20 Jun 2006 18:55:24 -0800 Comment by Jensen Interceptor JOSH FEIT Wrote:
".. or give it away to secret committees. Maybe...?"

Okay, I'll take the bait...since I am anxiously waiting for the 4th to watch the Heat destroy the Mavericks....What might constitute a "secret committee"?

--Jensen

]]> Jensen Interceptor http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377521 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377521 News Tue, 20 Jun 2006 18:57:35 -0800 Comment by Eric Um, I don't mean to be a stickler for the truth here, but the CAC that is being discussed was not elected, but appointed. Also, there is the iconvinient fact that this meeting clearly broke the law.
"All meetings of the governing body of a public agency shall be open and public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the governing body of a public agency, except as otherwise provided in this chapter." RCW 42.30.030
Go ahead and read the whole thing - you will find that they were supposed to be open.

]]> Eric http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377874 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377874 News Wed, 21 Jun 2006 07:23:40 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle I cain't spel and I musht phile lawsoot.

Skuls r bad cuz they no teach roks in branes peoplse.

um, sorry, was just trying to think like the moron that filed the lawsuit.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377947 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c377947 News Wed, 21 Jun 2006 09:34:22 -0800 Comment by Leslie What became of the argument? Who heard the argument? How does one get in touch w/ Mr. Clifford?

See also Board Policy itself - .0801 No. 6!

Thanks !

]]> Leslie http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c378875 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c378875 News Thu, 22 Jun 2006 06:43:24 -0800 Comment by Beth Bakeman While the CAC's school closure plan was flawed and overly ambitious, I don't think the closed meetings were a nefarious attempt to "hide decision making."

]]> Beth Bakeman http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c384509 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/06/school_closure#c384509 News Tue, 27 Jun 2006 23:59:55 -0800