This sadly speaks for itself

"Dear Ed,

Thanks. I was told in an e-mail from Town staff that the reason for the delay in preparing minutes was because it was so “labor intensive” to write them. Your message is the first time anyone has suggested that minutes will not someday be written of the meeting. As I understand it from press reports, there was considerable give and take between those Council members present and others participating in the meeting. What was asked, how it was answered, and how it was discussed no doubt plays a role in the continuing evolution of this process. We, the taxpayers, are entitled to know what was said and done at that meeting, and this note is a formal request for just that report.  Anything less is unacceptable.

I had early asked if we taxpayers could sit in on the meetings between the Town staff and the developer seeking a change in the current zoning. I was told no, and that none of those meetings would be noticed.

Frankly, I find the entire process a charade, largely intended to permit negotiations between the Town staff and the developer to run their course without having to bother with anyone who may disagree with the direction that those two groups choose to move.

Either the Town of Chapel Hill is committed to full transparency and inclusion or it is not. I am rapidly understanding that it is the latter, and since no one else who is a part of the “government” in this case seems to care, it is for the rest of us to seek legal and public opportunities to challenge the Town’s secrecy. It is a terrible waste of effort and resources, but sometimes this becomes necessary.

In any case, thanks for your note.

Cheers,

Terry

From: Ed Harrison [mailto:ed.harrison@mindspring.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 9:20 PM
To: Terry MAGUIRE
Cc: 'Amy Harvey'; 'Roger Stancil'; 'Flo Miller'; 'Ralph Karpinos'; 'Town Council'; 'Catherine Lazorko'; 'Carolyn Worsley'; 'Sabrina Oliver'; ken@wfarchitecture.com; 'John Richardson'; 'Amy Oland'; 'Matthew Brinkley'; 'Glenn Davis'; 'Tina Vaughn'; 'Angela Gerald'; 'Renee Moye'; 'Megan Wooley'; 'Jeff York'; 'Jim Orr'; 'JB Culpepper'; 'Loryn Clark'; 'Bill Webster'; 'David Bonk'; 'Eric Feld'; 'Gene Poveromo'; 'Jennifer Phillips'; 'Donna Bell'; 'George Cianciolo'; 'Jim Ward'; 'Jim Ward'; leestorrow.ch@gmail.com; 'Maria Palmer'; 'Mark Kleinschmidt'; 'Mark McCurry'; 'Matt Czajkowski'; 'Sally Greene'; 'Christina Strauch'
Subject: Re: 4/21/14 and 4/23/14 Continued Business Meeting and Public Hearing Pre- and Post-Meeting Materials Posted

Terry,

In more than 12 years on Council, I recall few if any minutes from Council work sessions. It generally isn't procedure to take them. It could be that a work session later in the process might result in a list of main points from staff for Council to evaluate. This was the case after the Glen Lennox Development Agreement work session a couple of months ago. 

Ed"