An old editor of mine once shared a quote with me: “Has anyone ever said, ‘I wish I could go to more meetings today?'”
For context, my former editor used that quip to explain why we were ending a few of our once-daily meetings in the newsroom, a change of which I was a fan. I tend to agree there are more productive uses of time than meeting on the same topic every day. Imagine my surprise, then, when every other Monday I actually do wish I could go to more meetings in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Or, at least, I wish I could cover everything, everywhere, all at once as I lead NonDoc’s Edmond Civic Reporting Project.
Unfortunately, the Edmond City Council and the Edmond Public Schools Board of Education often insist on jockeying for the public’s attention by meeting on the same Monday evening (not to mention competing against the long-standing American institution that is Monday Night Football).
For example, the ECC and EPS meeting slate of Sept. 9 saw the two public bodies overlap, leaving me as a journalist to pick favorites. I attended the Board of Education meeting while calling on illustrious Edmond resident and NonDoc team member Michael McNutt to serve my sentence at the City Council.
After another year on this newsy Earth of ours, I am 365 days older and crankier than I ever imagined possible, so it’s time for my Birthday Rant.
Why must these two vitally important public bodies in Edmond schedule meetings on the same evenings starting 30 minutes apart?
Serve Edmond with friendly meeting scheduling
I’m being somewhat facetious, of course. Compared to the other municipalities I have covered, Edmond government entities do a fairly good job recording their meetings and posting them online for folks to review if they can’t make it in person. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, though, and any decision that makes it easier for folks to engage with their community or be informed in person is something I can get behind.
To be fair, the scheduling conflict does not happen overly often, but it occurs often enough that it can become inconvenient. The next time these two civic titans are set to compete for your limited live attention is Monday, Dec. 9, according to their published meeting calendars. This year, Edmond’s double Monday meeting conundrum has already occurred Jan. 8, April 8 and Sept. 9. For bodies that only regularly meet once or twice a month, though, a full third of the school board’s meetings overlapping is far from ideal.
Funny enough, the Sept. 9 and Dec. 9 meeting dates are labeled as revised from an earlier schedule. One can only assume the EPS Board of Education is deliberately trying to steal the City Council’s thunder with such modifications.
Jokes aside, Edmond greatly benefits from its engaged citizenry, and all efforts should be undertaken to accommodate the public for public meetings. If you are a model concerned citizen and a parent who likes to be involved in your child’s school district — this is your reminder to register to vote — you should not have to sacrifice one for the other. This becomes especially true if there are agenda items at both meetings you would like to speak on, such as important bond issues for the city and school.
The EPS Board of Education has already published its expected 2025 meting dates, so the Edmond City Council has a great chance to return serve by scheduling its own meetings accordingly and accommodatingly. The civic geeks of your community would thank you endlessly, as would I.
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The value of being (able to be) present
While I was covering the Alex Murdaugh murder trial in South Carolina, legendary court reporter John Monk shared with me the importance of a keen eye in court reporting. Facial expressions, how folks are dressed, the tenor of the room, who is present or missing — all are important in setting the scene for readers and drawing folks into the long and often convoluted legal messes we report. Much of that unspoken context is lost when we can only flip on a recording with limited camera angles.
If a member of the public speaks in the open comment period, it’s easy enough for reporters to track them down, double check the spelling of their name, and ask more of their thoughts in person. If we can’t be there, though, we are often left without a way to contact someone who may have added insightful perspective about an important public issue.
All of that is to say, being able to attend important public meetings in the flesh helps reporters report just as it helps the public understand and ask their own questions. Overall, access to public bodies can allow meetings to be more effective because more concerned citizens can engage with their government, even if they don’t get up and share their thoughts. (Don’t mistake this Birthday Rant as a call for more gadflies griping during public comment periods.)
When elected bodies like the Edmond City Council and the EPS Board of Education overlap their meetings and compete for the public’s attention, a little bit is lost in both rooms.
