At the outset I wish it to be clear that the following is my opinion, not necessarily that of my wife, Black Diamond Council member Janie Edelman.

I was unable to attend the Jan. 7 council meeting but I did listen to the audio record posted on the city’s website. The council rules provide that the mayor appoint council committee members subject to council confirmation. When the motion was made to consider her appointments, council member Erika Morgan attempted to amend the resolution with a surprise packet of about forty pages that the mayor and two council members (those not supported by Save Black Diamond) had never seen before. This “amendment” was actually a series of proposals to change the Council Rules of Procedure and implement the new changes. The meeting went off track at this point. That is understandable considering the extent of the rule changes and the manner in which they were introduced. The mayor and minority council members sounded both angry and bewildered. Rather than continue debate the mayor withdrew her agenda item. Brian Derdowski, who often reminds us that he was once a county councilman, spoke to this in public comments. He claimed that the mayor lacked the authority to pull the agenda item even though the city attorney and council parliamentarian ruled otherwise for reasons she explained.

I can only conclude that Ms. Morgan, who purports to advocate transparency in government, was attempting a parliamentary trick. She tried to change the rules that govern the council by amending a simple confirmation resolution. Her Save Black Diamond advisers should be ashamed. To advocate transparency in government and then pull this stunt is reprehensible.

Bob Edelman

Black Diamond