Editor’s note: The Herald has lifted the paywall for this important story, providing critical information to readers. To support vital reporting such as this, please consider a digital subscription.
COURT HOUSE – County residents called for a more transparent government at a busy Dec. 10 meeting of the county commissioners: They took the mic and asked for videotaping of meetings, fast access to meeting audio recordings, the ability to read resolutions online without specifically requesting them, and for meetings to take place after work hours.
Eight members of the public spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting to advocate for greater transparency, with roughly two dozen more in the audience, many of whom told the Herald before and after the meeting that they were present in support of greater transparency.
A “Call to Action,” published online by the Herald, asked residents to attend the Dec. 10 meeting to “demand transparency from county commissioners.” County Counsel Jeffrey R. Lindsay advised commissioners not to respond to individual members of the public and instead to save responses for the end of the meeting.
“It’s public comment, not public interrogation,” Lindsay said. “I’m anticipating a number of comments on the same issue, so my recommendation to the board is to consider all of it, and at the end offer your direction rather than respond to every single person on the same topic.”
Arlayne Robinson, from Whitesboro, said to the commissioners: “I’m here during work right now because I rarely have the opportunity to get into meetings like this. I feel like it’s vital for young folks like myself to be engaged with meetings.” She said that she would attend more meetings, but the current schedule makes it difficult.
Dorrell Robinson, of Burleigh, shared a similar sentiment: “When you work, it’s just so hard to get to a meeting at 3 o’clock.” She asked the commissioners if they would consider moving the meeting to 6 or 7 p.m. so working people could attend.
Commissioner Will Morey made a similar suggestion at the board’s Nov. 26 meeting but was turned down by his fellow commissioners.
Andrea Nieves, who attended the meeting with several friends, said that she shared the Herald article, written by a member of the Cape Issues civic group, with as many Facebook groups as she could think of.
“I thought it was so important that people come to this meeting to make their voices heard,” she said. “Even just videotaping the meetings would be fantastic because the audio is just so bad.” Commission meetings currently are recorded by audio but not released to the public for at least two weeks after the meeting.
Nieves is a member of Cape May County Indivisible, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “If school board meetings can be recorded and other local meetings can, why can’t the county commissioners?” she asked.
Peter Jespersen, a member of Cape Issues from Court House, asked if the many resolutions to be voted on or presented at the meeting were available before or after the meeting, without members of the public having to make specific requests. He asked how members should familiarize themselves with agenda items if they are not available for perusal.
“It would be helpful if the resolutions were posted on the county website in advance,” Jespersen said.
Lindsay responded. “If somebody wanted to know what the resolution is about, there’s sufficient information in the title and description,” he said.
Two residents held up a copy of the Herald while commenting, gesturing as they spoke to a transparency scorecard that ran on the front page.
Cape May County’s government scored just one star out of six on the scorecard, which judged South Jersey counties on six criteria: livestreamed meetings, meetings after business hours, remote audience participation, audio and video posted within 24 hours (scored separately) and meeting documents accessible before the meeting begins. It is one of two South Jersey counties to score so low.
Lisa Rippo, a Wildwood Crest resident, said about the scorecard, “We are at the very bottom of this list as far as transparency goes … I used to work for UPS, and there was no way in the world that I could get away for an hour to participate in a meeting like this … It is critical to start making some changes.”
Commissioner Director Leonard Desiderio was the only member of the board who responded to the comments. He spoke briefly before voting to close out the meeting.
He said: “Thanks everyone for coming out today. We have heard your concerns, we have heard what you have said. We take it all seriously. You have heard me say many, many times we work for you. We will take everything you said under advisement. Hopefully, in 2025 we will come back with a solution for you about what we are going to do.”
Contact the reporter, Collin Hall, at chall@cmcherald.com or by phone at 609-886-8600 ext. 156
