Town meetings should start at appointed time
My wife, Bobbie, and I had decided to attend the Jackson Township Council meeting on Dec. 26 because we were upset with some of the problems that have beset our community in the last two years.

The published time by the council for the start of the public part of the meeting was 7:30 p.m. So we had a leisurely dinner and took our time in arriving at the municipal complex.

We were astounded upon entering the hall at 7:15 p.m. to find that the meeting was already in full swing and we had missed a substantial part of it. Many people who came even later than we complained that the meeting started well before the announced time.

The council members explained that their caucus (open to the public) starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by executive session (closed to the public), and then the council meeting starts any time after that, no matter who is there.

It seems to me that this is just another example of the present governing body's disregard for keeping the public aware of what they are doing.

They expect residents to come early and wait around through an executive session until the council is ready to start the public meeting.

I have been involved in many organizations, even president of some, and we have always given the membership every opportunity to be present at an announced time.

The Jackson Township Council should serve at the pleasure of the public, not vice versa. This was just another example of the arrogance of some of our elected officials.

Dr. Robert Rivere

Jackson