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Vallejo Mayor McConnell Puts the Hammer Down on Zoom Technical Difficulties

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“Putting the Hammer Down” by Oky – Space Ranger is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

At Tuesday’s council meeting, perennial caller Melissa Swift was cued up at least twice yet did not have the ability to speak over Zoom during public comment, as she has attested to. Swift wrote an email around 10 p.m. last night to the mayor, City Attorney Veronica Nebb, city PIO Christina Lee, Interim City Manager Mike Malone, and city staffer Narcissa Wilson:

Mayor and Council,

I’ve had my hand raised multiple times and keep getting skipped or disconnected.

Please allow me to make my public comment.
Thank you.
Melissa
Mayor McConnell has been criticized for parsing his words and not coming out publicly with his opinions on things, such as a story for Open Vallejo about the police chief’s alleged contradictions under oath. But he doesn’t mince words on the issue that Swift raised in her email. I was cc’d on his response to all parties:

The occurrence of having a caller shown as awaiting on the phone to be connected seems to repeat with many different callers with some degree of regularity.  It frustrates the caller.  It costs time.  It makes all sides look bad.

With a return to virtual only meetings it is now more absolutely imperative that this hindrance to good government be immediately remedied.
As the chair I am frustrated with the never ending re-occurrence of this activity.  It is time to address this glaring deficiency.  I am no longer willing to accept speculative explanations as to why and how these misconnects occur.  
To senior management, on behalf of the council and under the charter and applicable municipal code provisions provisions that empower me as chair to run these meetings, I am demanding that this obstacle to good government, indeed the very exercise of an individuals first amendment rights of addressing grievances to government, be solved immediately!  That means no later than the next council meeting.  I do not believe it is possible nor am I willing to accept any other possible outcome.
Please give this your immediate and urgent attention.  It deserves no less.

Swift was basically told to stand down mid-comment by Councilmember Pippin Dew last year, amid letters from the ACLU admonishing the council for what it says restricts free speech by limiting people from “personal attacks” of members. I’m sure if there is a conspiracy theory out there that Swift is deliberately being silenced, it will have its roots in this. I don’t believe conspiracy theories.

That said, someone burped twice last night while Vallejo Police Sergeant Jason Potts was talking about ghost guns. You could also hear the person seemingly enjoy their beverage of choice, presumably one with fizz to it. There is speculation that it was Naveed Ashraf, chief innovation officer, i.e. the computer guy. It doesn’t raise to the level of a Toobin and was actually kind of funny. But it gives one pause as to whether or not the powers that be know how to run an online meeting.

And while I’m at it, the City took the time to create a visual intro to the public comments, with scenes of busy city-folk walking up and down stairs, which is indeed only something that happens in urban environments with constituents who have something to say of course(?), but then the voice-over is some Stephen Hawking voice bot describing how sharing during the community forum works. It’s weird, Vallejo.

And lest we forget my previous rant about the Atari Pong Sport level of sophistication found in the city council meeting archives, which look like some 1987 list serve. No bueno.

You can reach me at katy@katystclair.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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