MASON CITY – The Cerro Gordo County Supervisors met Tuesday morning with an armed Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Deputy in attendance.
According to a source that phoned NIT’s office today, the deputy was in the room at the request of the Supervisors. There was no law enforcement nor Sheriff’s business on the agenda.
“In the 4 and half years I have attended meetings, I have only seen that one other time,” Mason City’s Chris Watts stated after the meeting. Watts is running against incumbent Phil Dougherty for the District 3 Supervisor seat.
Watts was referring to a Supervisor’s meeting a few years back where former Mason City Council member Max Weaver was in attendance. The Supervisors did not allow Weaver to address the board at that meeting.
Supervisor Bob Amosson made a proclamation prior to calling Tuesday’s meeting to order, saying that “last week things got a little heated. I am the board chairman and I have a right to conduct this meeting. We have quite a bit of responsibility here. I don’t think we’ve ever not give people a chance to speak if they want to know what’s going on.” (See video)
Amosson was referring to the September 4th Supervisor’s meeting, which was abruptly ended by Supervisors Jay Urdahl and Dougherty as NIT Publisher Matt Marquardt asked a series of probing questions to them regarding the openness of their meetings.
Tuesday’s meeting picked up where that one left off, with Marquardt re-iterating his position that the Supervisor meeting agendas do not clearly indicate that the public is welcome to address the board for a certain amount of time an agenda items, or any issue.
Amosson pointed to an agenda item that simply says “Correspondence & Communication.”
At the conclusion of today’s meeting, Marquardt was allowed to address the board and stated as an example of other public boards, the Mason City Park Board has as their first order of business a public hearing where the public may address the board for up to 5 minutes. There was a lengthy public discussion Monday night at that meeting, and the board was forthcoming in welcoming it.
“The Parks & Recreation Board welcomes comments from the public during the public hearing(s) and public forum. We ask that you limit the time used to 5 minutes,” the Park Board’s agenda clearly states at the top.
Marquardt had pointed out at the September 4th meeting to Urdahl and Dougherty that at least 3 neighboring counties clearly indicate that the public is welcome to address the board of supervisors and is given a certain amount of time to do so.
Marquardt asked the Supervisor board why they do not clearly indicate to the public on their agendas the option to address the board.
“Because we are the county. Us three guys can do it anyway we want to,” Supervisor Bob Amosson declared. (See video.) “We can run the meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order.”
Marquardt read an email from Bert Dalmer, Assistant for Whistleblower Protection in the Iowa Citizens’ Aide/Ombudsman Office regarding a previous request for more information to be released by the Supervisors regarding agenda items.
Marquardt re-iterated his request for a packet of background information on agenda items to be released to the public, and shared Dalmer’s advice:
“If you remain intent on getting old agenda packets, or packets in advance of future meetings, I’d suggest you share a copy of this opinion (a 1981 opinion from the Iowa Attorney General that says meeting packets are public record) with the Board, and tell them your request is being made under the Open Records and Open Meetings laws. You may tell them you filed this request at the advice of the State Ombudsman’s office. If they deny you any of these records, you may ask them to cite the specific section of law that allows them to do so.”
Marquardt handed the Cerro Gordo County Supervisors a hard copy of the opinion.
See video below.
Watch video:
httpv://youtu.be/HSDmmSM1z18
does the sheriff’s dept have a weight standard for its deputies? how do they expect to receive any respect when they look like the pillsbury doughboy?
at the very least the BOS meetings need to be recorded and put on the county web site as mp3 files
The Bd. of Supervisors and the City Council are both spending the taxpayers money. Why isn’t the supervisors’ meetings broadcast on TV? From what I understand the supervisors make 3-4 times as much money as the council members. I think Jay Urdahl makes close to $40,000 per yr. for 12 meetings — nice! He has been there too long – let’s vote him out.
“another anonymous”, you seem to need some help to understand what Mr. Marquardt did is exactly what journalists are suppose to do. He asked some good questions of the supers, so that he could make their answers available to his readers. How is that having a chip on his shoulder? People are sick and tired of the powers to be and their pals in the press acting like the citizens who vote them in, pay their paychecks, and buy the products advertised in their paper are stupid. Keep up the good work Mr. M, because MC has needed what your offering for a long time.
Everyone –
Please watch the video. This board is so arrogant. They need to be replaced.
You get the feathers and I’ll get the tar!
Having a deputy at the meeting was a blatent attempt to intimidate Matt and make no mistake about that. In my opinion after viewing the vidio was Matt was very polite and professional and did no more than ask pertinent questions to which he recieved no answer. The board is very obvious in their atemt to stiffel the press and there is no doubt that Matt is certainly a representative of the press. The attitudes of the supervisiors and their body language show that they deeply resent any interferrence in the way they run their meetings. This needs to change immediately as they are elected officials and seem to have for gotten that. They have been in office far to long and need to be replaced with people who realize that they are working for the public.
Think of the tax dollars sitting in that room! Sheriff–70.000
Supervisor 50.000 Times 3. etc, etc
Even hanging a sign on the courthouse door, constitutes letting the public know.
Those sups looked like deer in the headlights! I think thy know that they’re geting called out and know their number is up!
Persistency supercedes talent, education, everything. Successful people almost always have one thing in common, persistency(AKA hard work). I’m not saying this Matt guy doesn’t have talent or brains, I don’t know him, but what I’m saying is he is not going anywhere and appears to be a real bulldog in going after stories so wonder if the approach these supervisors are using is the right one.
Matt, too bad you don’t realize how ridiculous you sound. Why would anyone give you any credibility when you come off the way you do? You sound like someone with a big chip on your shoulder & “I’ll show you” attitude. Just grow up. You won’t show anyone anything coming off sounding like a big spoiled brat.
Depends on your perspective. I rather admire tenacity.
You sir are a coward. Period. How do you even look at yourself in the mirror everyday? You do not even have the guts to address me with your real name. You have been making nasty comments to me for weeks here on NIT, always fake names and anonymous. Grow a pair and show up to debate me in person or get lost.
Matt for MAYOR!!!!
Now that was just like an episode out of the old Perry Mason shows! “Some of you might remember them.” Matt did an outstanding job bringing them out and roping them on this issue. Great job of reporting on this one!
Pst…hey Phil. I noticed you shake your head a couple of times and lightly chuckle at Matt’s comments. Question, where was that chuckle and head shake right there at the end of the video? Lol.
Psst. Hey Bob….the look on your face was priceless. Lol. Question, does the inside of a courthouse scare you? It should. I’d give Matt the packet if I were you. WHEN he requests it. Just a little bit of free advice.
Listen to that little feeling you have. Or, don’t. lol.
“whistle blower protection – maybe i need that now – there’s a man with a gun in here . . .”
lmao
It’s pretty evident we have lost our freedom. There are a whole bunch of fools that will vote for President Obama knowing full well he is intent on taking our freedom away.
People are going to vote for hope when we all know he has failed to restore our economy.
Go figure.
The supervisors are no better. Where is the outrage?
Glad you accessed the ombudsman’s office. :o)
Matt it sounds like skipper was picking a fight with you!
Yep I heard that about 4 minutes into Matt’s time on the video Skipper was talking to the board and they nodded back at him he clearly interrupted Matt just like he used to do to Weaver at council meetings
Supervisors meeting, chamber of commerce, city council, globe gazette. they all stink of this arrogance that they are above us citizens.
Just FYI there is a deputy assigned to the courthouse everyday.
They are in the building and they never attend the Supervisor meetings.
Hard to believe that the supervisors would need a sheriff to protect them from a camera is amazing. Only in Cerro Gordo county !! Keep after them Mat.
I’m sure the Sheriff has more important things to do than babysit these so called Supervisors! Good job Matt!
He looks like he does a lot of this kind of work.
Wouldn’t be much trouble outrunning him??
The audacity of this board is startling. Matt, was Jay hiding from the camera?