The Montgomery County Commissioners have changed the date of their next meeting so Democrat Joe Hoeffel can attend a meeting of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.Both meetings were scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 24. The commissioners are moving their meeting to Wednesday so Hoeffel can make his first meeting as the county's representative on the DVRPC.
When was the decision made to change the meeting and when was the decision made to nominate Hoeffel to the regional commission in place of Republican Jim Matthews?
The commissioners last met on Jan. 10 and neither decision was announced (or voted on) at that meeting.
Matthews and Hoeffel must have had a conversation after Jan. 10 to make the switch in meeting dates and appointments. There's no indication the other commissioner, Republican Bruce Castor, took part in the discussion.
There was no public meeting since Jan. 10, so that means Matthews and Hoeffel held a private meeting in violation of the state Sunshine Act.
Any time a majority of commissioners from the three-member board get together, they are subject to the state's Sunshine Act. The meeting has to be advertised in advance and any votes must be taken in a public setting.
How many more secret meetings can we expect under the Matthews-Hoeffel Regime?
3 comments:
It absolutely is a violation of the Sunshine Law. So what are you going to do about it? Local newspapers have more resources to file complaints then the average citizen so it should be the Pottstown Mercury's duty to bring these arrogant fools down a peg or two. The Reading Eagle has filed several charges over the years and has won on all of them. It's time the Mercury stepped out and did the same.
I think some other things beside this will go down tomorrow. Hoeffel and Matthews aren't the only ones on the board who are full of funny business and back-dealing...
I'm tending to think it is a"chairmans choice" position, and that Matthews can just appoint Hoeffel and Maza without discussion. I may be mistaken though, but I don't think it has to be publicly debated or consulted with the "minority" commissioner.
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