STONE HARBOR – The Borough Council cannot seem to make up its mind about a proposed change in the structure of a citizen advisory committee on recreation: An ordinance that has now been tabled twice would strip the advisory group of its citizen chair and give the chairmanship to the council member who chairs the council’s standing committee on recreation and tourism.
The move to change the recreation advisory committee structure, along with a resolution to look at outsourcing tourism management and public information functions, caused a great deal of public comment on Feb. 4, most of it in the form of criticism of the council’s lack of public discussion on these issues.
When the ordinance change was tabled on Feb. 4, Mayor Tim Carney lobbied against it in the council’s public meeting. Carney said the ordinance would “gut” the community group, eliminating its ability to vote for its own officers. He added he feels that “the rec advisory committee should remain autonomous” of the council.
At the Feb. 18 council meeting, the ordinance was again on the agenda for introduction in exactly the same form as it was on Feb. 4. Once again the council tabled the proposal.
Once again there was no public discussion of the ordinance’s provenance or the rationale behind it.
The council committee on recreation, distinct from the citizen advisory committee, is where the ordinance originated, Carney said on Feb. 4. That council committee has three members – Victor Foschini (chair), Frank Dallahan and Jennifer Gensemer.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
