Each month, as part of my job here at The Bee, I sit through meetings for various municipalities. From city council and commissioner’s court to school board, most every governing entity in the area has a public meeting where they discuss the ongoings of the entity.
Each time I get an agenda for one of those meetings there is an agenda item on them that says “Public Comment,” or “Public Forum.” Public, as in anyone not on the board could come in and sign up to make comments regarding things they feel should be done, changed, or addressed. One thing I have noticed about these meetings is that the “public” is glaringly absent from the majority of them.
Oftentimes I hear from people things that they feel their city or school board should address. How will the governing bodies know what is on the mind of the citizens if the citizens do not tell them? The best way to tell them is to show up at the meetings. Even if you do not speak, your presence will go a long way to showing the board or council that the citizens are concerned about their communities.
If you have something of concern regarding your city, school, or even the county, I urge you to attend the meeting. Even if you do not have a concern, you can still attend the meetings and learn more about what is going on in the city or school. Below is a list of area meetings. If you visit the entities’ website, you should find a posted agenda no less than 72 hours prior to a meeting. (Most meeting agendas are posted on Friday before the scheduled meeting.) If you do have a concern and choose to sign up for public comments, please remember to be respectful. The board and council members are elected officials; they do not receive a check for their services.
In addition to attending meetings, there is one more big way that the public can have a voice in local government is coming up. That is to get out and VOTE. There are several local elections that will be held May 7, and early voting will begin soon. Mayor of Daingerfield, two Daingerfield City Council positions, and several positions on the Daingerfield- Lone Star ISD School Board will be on the ballot. Not everyone feels led to run for a position in government. But everyone has the opportunity to fill a ballot. If you do not place a vote, then you cannot argue when the candidate you preferred did not get elected. So, make sure you go vote on May 6.
If you choose not to be involved, then you have no recourse to complain about the way things are going.