Delco Council erupts in partisan bickering over agenda items
MEDIA >> Welcome to the weekly Wednesday morning fight after another meeting of Delaware County Council erupted in a series of partisan squabbles, with accusations of hypocrisy lobbed from both the majority Republicans and minority Democrats.
And what was it about? Adding items to the agenda.
All of which prompted Democratic Councilman Brian Zidek to sum things up this way:
“I would imagine that if I was the public listening to this, I would tire of this bickering,” he said as he continued the discussion at Wednesday’s council meeting.
A little while later, County Council Chairman John McBlain added, “I agree with you, I think outside of the five of us, this probably sounds pretty tedious.”
Minutes earlier, both Councilmen Michael Culp and Kevin Madden had launched allegations at each other during a conversation about procedures to get items on the agenda.
Basically, Democrat council members were saying they had no way to get items on the council agenda, claiming Republicans were blocking their request, either by voting down the measures at the Tuesday agenda meeting or by ignoring their requests ahead of time. Republican members responded that was untrue and claimed Democrats were presenting issues at the last minute in part to flaunt their stance.
The antics began after Zidek moved to establish a Councilmanic Agenda Committee, as provided by the Delaware County Administrative Code, to decide what goes on the agenda.
The code allows for either the council chairman, who does it now, or a Councilmanic Agenda Committee to make the final approval for what items are placed on the agenda.
Council members are also empowered to bring up issues either through comments or a motion in the council comment section of Wednesday’s meetings.
“I think that we might all be better served by creating a councilmanic committee so that we can make sure that items are placed on the agenda so that people aren’t frustrated when they are raised,” Zidek said.
Madden added, “We have, in the past, made efforts ... to one-on-one speak to you, Mr. Chairman, the week prior or before the Tuesday meeting about asking for something to appear on the agenda and on multiple occasions it hasn’t made its way there.
“There have been other situations,” he added, “in which we’ve raised items on Tuesday’s agenda meeting. On more than one occasion, we’ve done so only to have the adding to the agenda being voted down.”
McBlain said he rejected those claims.
“I’ve been in the situation where at five minutes to 10 (a.m.) on a Wednesday as we walked down the stairs, I’ve been told, ‘John, just a heads up, this is going to come up today,’” he said.
He added that he thought council members had other motivations than just adding some things to the agenda.
“I think when members of council have experienced frustration about not getting their way with things on the agenda is when, quite honestly, I think it’s things people that wanted to grandstand on and introduce them at the last minute so there’s not a lot of public participation ahead of time,” he said.
Madden and Zidek gave examples from their perspective.
“The week before the last meeting, I spoke with you in your office about the desire to raise the issue of the prison board and I’d like to have that on the agenda,” Madden said. “Low and behold, it was not on the agenda for the following week.”
Zidek said he asked McBlain to put a motion to put out a bid for insurance broker services for the county.
McBlain said Zidek’s assertion was not true and said he recalled the conversation with Madden differently.
“There was no request to add it to the agenda,” he said of the prison board issue. “You told me you were going to bring that up at the meeting and you did.”
At one point, Culp said, “Mr. Madden, you just at 9:59 a.m. this morning sprung an issue on me you’re going to bring on today. How hypocritical can you get? ... You could’ve called me. You knew about it yesterday. You have my cell phone. I’ve never not called you back.”
“As I said there will be exceptions,” Madden said.
“It’s being a hyopcrite,” Culp responded. “It’s being a hypocrite.”
Madden added, “I find it very hypocritical that you’re reserving your rights not to vote in favor of adding something to the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting and yet you’re against having a Councilmanic Committee.”
Toward the end of the spat, Zidek said he can – and would – return to bringing up items the way he usually did at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We can continue with the current way we’re doing things and I’m fine with that,” he said. “I think it’s suboptimal but I’m fine with that.”
The motion to establish a Councilmanic Committee failed with Republicans McBlain, Morrone and Culp voting against it and Democrats Madden and Zidek voting in favor.