See ’Em Govern Wildwood Style on the Internet

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WILDWOOD — Can’t get enough of the city’s bi-monthly Commissioner’s Meetings?
After the camera has been rolling at Wildwood Commission meetings here since May 2007, fans can finally watch the action on Google.
Commissioner Gary DeMarzo, who has been using his personal video equipment to record Commission meetings, told the Herald that he has started uploading the taped meetings to Google’s video site. The Oct. 22 and Nov. 12 meetings are currently available online.
Although it isn’t the same as actually sitting in the second floor meeting hall, agenda in hand, residents have said that the videos would help keep them updated on the city’s business if they couldn’t make it to City Hall. For many out-of-town property owners or those dealing with job obligations or illness, watching the videos online might be their only opportunity to understand how the city government is run.
And then there is the entertainment factor.
No telling if the online videos will reach the legendary status of the taped broadcasts when former Mayor Duane Sloan and Commissioner Fred Wager frequently went at it, but the Nov. 12 meeting at about 20 minutes in, gets particularly interesting.
To navigate to the videos, go to Google Video home page at http://video.google.com and type “City of Wildwood” in the search bar.
DeMarzo said that once the city’s Web site is reconfigured, the meeting videos would be posted there as well.
“This will be another way to keep tabs on your local politicians,” he said.
In July of this year, Commissioner Bill Davenport questioned the legality of DeMarzo using his personal video equipment to film Commission meetings. That issue stemmed from whether DeMarzo is acting in his official capacity as a Commissioner or a citizen of the city when making the recordings.
DeMarzo has argued that the video equipment, including the tapes, are his “personal possessions” and had promised that the video will be made available to the public through a “non city associated Web site.”
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com