Democracy in Action

I went to the Whatcom County Council public meeting tonight to listen to public comments and Council decisions on three land use proposals. The third one concerns the area where we live, and could affect water quality in Lake Padden.

The meeting started at 7:00 with an opportunity for citizens to speak for three minutes about any issue. The time limit was strictly enforced -- thank goodness. Most of the speakers didn't stand close enough to the microphone for me to hear them, so I passed the time by viewing emails and blips on my iPhone. It was 8:00 before we got to the items I was interested in.

Big money won the first two decisions. At 10:50 the Council voted to postpone a decision on the third item until the February meeting. At that point most people left and the Council adjourned for a short break before dealing with some other business. It's not an easy job!

View this large to see who's paying attention to the speaker and who isn't.