Council strives to let all members be heard - #lakewoodnews

Immediately following the November election, old and new members of the Lakewood City Council spoke excitedly about the culture change reflected in the victories of the so-called "anti-establishment" candidates.

The group campaigned against what they described as reckless housing development. They called for more local government transparency, and were supported by some on the council who found themselves at odds with the majority.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Ramey Johnson, Ward 3 Councilman Pete Roybal and Ward 4 Councilman Dave Wiechman were usually the nay votes on most issues under former mayor Bob Murphy. They said they often felt treated as outsiders because of this.

"Things were so bad under the Murphy regime that almost anything would be better," Wiechman said. "We're seeing some improvements, but it's still not totally equal yet."

Murphy said council members are elected to serve the public, and the public rightfully expects professional communication from its government.

"There's a difference between honest and respectful disagreement and nasty and disrespectful disagreement," he said. "There are times when it gets emotional, but I always tried to run our meetings in a professional manner."

With the balance of power on council now leaning more toward the anti-establishment approach, shifts can already be seen. In the Jan. 25 vote over the city's charitable giving program, the passing vote was 6-5 --; closer than council had seen in some time, with the anti-establishment candidates on the losing side.

"This kind of culture is how it should be --; it should be the norm to have this kind of discussion," Johnson said. "There shouldn't be just a few people speaking. Everyone should be free to talk about the issue."

As the new mayor, Adam Paul said he is responsible for setting an inclusive tone for all on council, no matter their beliefs.

"My main goal is to make sure everyone is heard," he said. "That allows us to focus on the reason we're all here --; to get the citizens' work done."

So far, nothing has been specifically covered regarding civility in new councilmember trainings, according to Ward 2 Councilwoman Sharon Vincent and Ward 5 Councilwoman Dana Gutwein. But maintaining a comfortable atmosphere is important for everyone.

"We all understand and believe different things," Gutwein said. "I think a great rule for us would be to challenge the ideas, not the people."

From the beginning, Vincent said all councilmembers have been respectful of each other and accepting of the fact that different perspectives make for better discussions.

"Everyone wants things to go smoothly as possible, and that's a step in the right direction," Johnson said. "I don't care how people vote, because once we vote the issue is behind us, and we need to be able to move forward and talk afterward."

City Manager Kathy Hodgson brings a positive attitude to the new council, Gutwein said, and Wiechman added that staff also appears willing to take new approaches to the process.

But he warned about letting too much civility lead to a lack of discussion and debate.

"You don't want to get carried away with this. It's one thing to be civil, but another to go along just to get along," he said. "If we can still have independent thinkers and be civil in the process, that's the perfect world."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Council-strives-to-let-all-members-be-heard,206653