Committee Meets!
And yes, in the City Council that's sometimes news.
The Bronx Press's John DeSio emails to note that City Council Member Larry Seabrook of the Bronx held the first-ever meeting of the Civil Rights Committee today, about two years after it was formed.
He gets $4,000 a year for the leadership position. According to the committee's Web page, "there are no current committee matters at this time."
Ensuring that Larry Seabrook has no authority over any matters of importance is a public service.
This Committee is made up of councilmembers who were left out in the cold in the speaker's race. I'ts hard trying to picture Larry run a meeting with DeBlasio, Mealy, Monserrate and Nelson. What kind of civil rights issues this group will address???
3:37: Well, who better to address issues of concern to minorities than those who were in the minority themselves?
If is true that 2006 will see the arrival of new voting machines (not sure if it is), then they clearly have an opportunity and responsibility to educate the voting public about those changes, and to conduct an earned media campaign to ensure people are aware of their rights and responsibilities.
I am less than hopeful that Seabrook has the capacity to formulate either the plan or the message to do this - just floating it out there as a need and a civil rights issue.
Why would the speaker make a committee up on Civil Rights, then stack it fullof people who did not support her. BTW was anyone actually at the meeting, even Larry?
AWOL Council Member Sara Gonzalez is also threatening to finally hold a meeting this Thursday for her recently elevated Juvenile Justice Committee ... quick, someone grab the defibrillator!!!
So if they can't think of any civil rights issues to discuss I can make some suggestions...
Hey Chris Quinn.... now's your chance for real reform.
Get rid of the BS committees. Look at government reform from the budget to the agency operating flaws. You have a rare opportunity.
Isn't that what the Government Ops committee does?
Gatemouth I'm with you. I was at the Council Transportation hearing today, and Larry Seabrook was there for EXACTLY 10 MINUTES. He sat there long enough to be marked 'present' and promptly left BEFORE ANY TESTIMONY WAS GIVEN. It was so brazen that I almost started laughing. What a disgrace - makes the council look like a joke [apparently not hard to do]...
In Albany Larry was known as Seacrook. In the Bronx as Sealook don't worry someday I will pass the bar exam.