Letter to the editor 10-3-08. Permission to post on the Anoka City Forum was not requested nor obtained as it was taken from the public record:
On this small patch of land we call the City of Anoka, we as residents have darn good access to all five city council members.
They are all close. The whole town is only seven square miles. All of them would welcome a letter from a resident with something to say.
I have never been refused an email address or a cell phone number. They are all accessible every few days at one of the many published meetings at city hall.
If you don't seem to get along with one, you can talk to another one. And if you don't like that one, you can choose from three more.
Furthermore, if you don't like the entire council, and that opinion is popular, then you as voters can overturn the majority of the council every two years!
If the people who signed the petition (for a ward based voting system) feel that others have to come to your doors to get your opinion, then you need to get involved.
Streaming video is online ( www.ci.anoka.mn.us ). City meetings replay several times a day on local cable for the next two weeks.
The City of Anoka ensures that the electronic packets are available for review online by Friday before the next scheduled meeting. Minutes for meetings are also available on the city website for up to two years.
There are constant vacancies on our boards and commissions. Many of the public meetings are under attended.
I'll make a personal challenge to all who read this, fill some of the empty chairs yourself. Did you think all you had to do was vote to be well represented?
Pat Walker
Anoka
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