Mayor Mahan to citizen: "You're Wasting Your Time"

At the Santa Clara City Council meeting on July 17, 2007, Mayor Patricia Mahan demonstrated her lack of concern for citizen input on Council decisions.

City Council procedures allow the opportunity for public comment before the Council votes on any issue. In response to one agenda item, however, the Mayor called for comments, and took one comment from the City Manager, but not the public.

The Mayor then rushed through the call for public comments and tallied the votes right away. A resident had been trying to signal her intent to speak (the microphones did not pick up the resident's request), but the Mayor had not stopped to check for comments.

Seeing that another Councilmember was signaling the resident to come forward, and exasperated Mayor Mahan chastised the resident, and then, quietly added: "You're wasting your time."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• santa clara
• Patricia Mahan
• city council
• citizen
• democracy
• elected official

[StadiumFacts]

Just to be clear, the Mayor's comment "You're wasting your time" was NOT audible to the public in the City Council chambers. It was ONLY audible on the TV broadcast.

The Mayor may say that she was speaking to the resident, but that's an excuse. The public in attendance did not hear the comment.

In fact, although a home viewer alerted us to her to her comment, it wasn't until we were able to view the video that we heard the comment.

[90secondtour]

The Mayor seems to say "You're wasting OUR time"

[dan4911]

The council had just voted to accept the report. The mayor makes the "wasting your time" comment under her breath when she "invites" public comment.