By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS – Cass County commissioners will leave their meeting schedule, which mixes 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. meetings, alone for 2007.
"Chairman Wagel says that early meetings (4 p.m.) are necessary in order that elected officials and department heads along with the public may attend," said District 15 Commissioner Robert Ziliak, R-Niles.
"There is no reason why an elected official or department head cannot attend the 7:30 p.m. meeting if they have a desire to stay involved in county government. All the meetings do not have to be held at 4 p.m. for these people. Most elected officials – township supervisors, clerks, treasurers and trustees – have part-time elected positions in the county and have full-time day jobs and can only be available in the evening to attend a county commissioners meeting."
Ziliak said the majority of his constituents work days. A minority works nights.
"Unlike what this motion states that 4 p.m. meetings are encouraged in order that the public can attend, in reality, the public generally cannot make these early afternoon meetings," Ziliak said. "The only individuals who will be able to attend these meetings will be business owners who have the flexibility of leaving their job to attend a meeting and people who don't work or are retired."
Ziliak said, "The meetings don't have to be at 4 p.m. in order for the media to prepare their reports for the late news TV or morning newspapers. I have held and attended many evening meetings where there was TV coverage and newspaper coverage. They do not need to be at 4 p.m. I have attended many late-night meetings and then go home and watch the news coverage on the 11 p.m. news and read the newspaper article the next morning."
Another point Ziliak made is that some current commissioners and their challengers in Tuesday's election perhaps ran for office planning on the schedule remaining the same.
"Will they able to handle the new meeting schedule?" he asked. For me, personally, I will be able to by using moe of my vacation time to attend these daytime meetings or I may be forced to miss some meetings because I won't be able to get off work."
"It almost seems," Ziliak observed, "as though we are attempting to make it as difficult as possible for the public to attend the meetings. Is that what we want? It is not what I want! I want openness in all government operations. We as commissioners should strive to have Cass County government operations as open as possible to the public."
Ziliak noted that when he first became involved in government 33 years ago, it was for "that main reason" of openness. "Secret meetings, non-posted meetings and meetings occurring at a time when the general working public could not attend.
"I fought for open meetings and openness and access to all documents in all government operations," Ziliak said. "My motto was and is to this day, make government as open and as accessible to the public as you can. It appears as though we will be getting away from the open meeting concept and will be becoming more closed and secretive by shutting off the majority of individuals who work from having the ability to come and speak to the board.
"By splitting the meeting times between day and evening meetings, it gives all the residents of Cass County an opportunity to attend commissioners meetings. Let's keep the current meeting schedule except starting next year have one additional 7:30 pm. meeting in the spring and one additional 7:30 p.m. meeting in the fall because of the new effective dates for daylight savings time."
Commissioners agreed on a 14-0 vote, with Jack Teter, R-Edwardsburg, absent.
Commissioner John Cureton, R-Dowagiac, had introduced the 162nd motion of 2006, which states, "Every fall the Board of Commissioners sets its meeting schedule for the following year. Chairperson Wagel asked that the board's 2007 regular meeting schedule be changed to 4 p.m. meetings so that elected officials, department heads and the public can attend. The 4 p.m. schedule also provides time for the media to prepare their reports for the late TV news or morning newspapers."
"Commissioner Ziliak made some excellent points," Cureton said. "For you old-timers, you might remember what a stickler I was for open meetings" when he was a newsman, "so I'm going to vote no."
"I thank Mr. Ziliak for speaking up," said Commissioner Johnie Rodebush, D-Howard Township.
"I concur with Commissioner Ziliak also. Who's off work at 4 o'clock?" asked Commissioner Minnie Warren, D-Pokagon Township.
"A workable compromise would be to stay the way we were rather than adding two 7:30 p.m. meetings. I would support staying the way we were," commented Vice Chairman Ron Francis, R-Cassopolis.