Editor:

I had the unfortunate opportunity to address the Hot Springs city board at their agenda meeting Tuesday evening. For those citizens who may not be aware, this is the practice meeting before the actual board meeting Monday at 7 PM. My formally filed request was to place a “Public Comment” section on all Hot Springs public meetings. Many of us consider it hypocrisy for our officials to refer to their meetings as “public meetings” when the public is not allowed to speak. When this same “action item” request was brought up previously, it was discussed and dismissed without a vote which does not meet their own criteria for “action.” At the agenda meeting, my request was dismissed and was not permitted on Monday’s agenda. The only director who thought this item should be on the agenda was Director Maruthur.

At the agenda meeting, our city manager and several directors pointed out that to allow the public to speak at city meetings could embarrass city directors. They even provided an example where this had happened. A bit of investigation revealed the embarrassing previous event to be a citizen pointing out a sitting director’s police record. It is painfully obvious that the present city board is more concerned with their image on television than they are in representing their constituents. Why are they so concerned that the 5 viewers on our local city channel 15 are not allowed to see open, honest, and transparent government where the public can participate and speak? Should we be prohibited from knowing if our representatives have police records? For that matter, why do they even need an “agenda” meeting? Should public meetings be rehearsed?

The future growth and development of Hot Springs needs real leadership. We do not need more “dysfunction junctions,” expensive public parking garages with closed vehicle accesses, and “bottlenecks” reducing our few 4-lane highways to 2-lane nightmares. Instead of “public servants” whose priority is to serve themselves with frequent trips to Japan and Reno at our expense, we need representatives who will properly plan for the growth of our city. We deserve representatives that will provide for the welfare and safety of our citizens instead of catering to selfish or self-serving interests. I will not take up additional space in this letter because other items such as accident records and director abuses are extensively covered at Hot-Springs-Metro.org but I would ask our citizens to consider whether or not you are being well represented by the current bunch at city hall. If so, vote to endorse what they are doing. If not, call your friends and neighbors and work to vote them out of office. Don’t complain if you don’t vote. Exercise your responsibility as a citizen and make your opinion count.

Bob Driggers, Hot-Springs-Metro.org