Winthrop Council takes no action on public forum

by Michael Mattison
At last month’s Winthrop City Council meeting, the Council members heard a request from Council member Martha Santelman and resident Tom Witucki to reinstate the public forum to City Council meetings.
At its regular November meeting, the Council was in consensus to leave the public forum off the monthly agenda with no motion made for reinstatement.
Council Member Kelly Pierson said he would not be opposed to holding a forum 15 minutes before the regular meeting. City Administrator Michael Looft explained that because the Council would have a quorum, the public forum would still be a public meeting.
Santelman then asked if it could be placed at the end of each regular meeting.
Council Members Dawn Wickenhauser and Jenny O’Connor were both opposed to re-instating the public forum during meetings with O’Connor stating she would resign immediately. “To sit here and get slammed for however many minutes and then we couldn’t do anything. I won’t do it.”
Mayor Julie Trebelhorn said that while it gives the residents a forum, it doesn’t give the Council a chance to respond.
People with concerns are now asked to talk with City Hall or Council members to get on the agenda for the next meeting. This would allow Council members the chance to research the concern, discuss it at the meeting and make a decision. With the public forum, the Council members were not able to respond to concerns that were brought up.