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Minutes of a Public Hearing <br />October 6, 2010 <br />Page 8 <br />stand on Issue 2 and talk about that and then put together a compromise that is better than all of <br />the individual contributions that were in the deliberation. <br />So when I talk about the deliberation process and what I look for in governance, it's trying to <br />create a system in which, especially the representatives of the people, have the ability and the <br />time to deliberate. For example, when i vote for members of Council, I don't really care about <br />their current opinion on a particular issue because that issue may never even come up in the next <br />four yeazs. I am concerned about some basic values that tliey hold toward my community and <br />secondly that they would make a promise to me that they will deliberate in my place. I don't <br />have the time to sit and deal with all the issues confronting even a village much less a city. And <br />so what I want as a council member is somebody that may have some values. The value is <br />important to me. They agree with me. But they are willing to get into the deliberative process <br />and they are willing to say, I am willing to take your place at the table because I know you don't <br />have time to do it. You are busy teaching and other things. And what I am going to do is put my <br />best effort in working with the other people in the Council to come up with solutions to the <br />issues we face as a community. Secondly, I am going to come back to you and tell you what I did <br />and why I did it. <br />That's what I want from a council member. I don't want somebody that says, I agree with you <br />and I will never accept that. My view. could be wrong. If I had the time to sit down with other <br />people and time to look at the issue in more depth, I may change my mind. So I don't want to <br />see a system locked in as much as I want to see a system when people have had a sense of values <br />and the ability to deliberate and to talk about the current issues and the future issues and the <br />future of the community. It's not an easy process to do because it involves a lot of give and <br />take. It involves a large commitment of time. That's why I would never run for council. I want <br />city council always to be part-time so any citizen can run for that, but you've got to have the time <br />to invest in that. If I don't have the time, then what I've got to do is have somebody represent <br />me and I want that person to say to me, I'm going to deliberate. I have some basic values I hold <br />but I am going to deliberate with the other members of the council and we are going to try to <br />move that discussion forward and then I am going to be accountable to you. That is, I am going <br />to come back to you and say, here's what I decided and why I decided it. Then I can decide <br />whether I want to re-elect them or not. If I can, hold them accountable, because now I know <br />what they have done. I may not agree with what they did in deliberation and I may vote against <br />them, but most likely I would vote for them even if I disagree with them on some issues because <br />they're willing to deliberate and they are willing to try and reach that consensus in the sense of a <br />constructive compromise, not just splitting differences, but trying to deal with the real issues.