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June 25, 2014- By Steven E. Greer
BatteryPark.TV has extensively written about the rampant violation of New York Open Meeting Law by the BPCA board and Community Board 1. Whenever Catherine McVay Hughes or Anthony Notaro begins a CB1 meeting, warning that the community cannot speak, or whenever the BPCA conducts a board meeting and goes into executive session for no proper reason, they are quite possibly breaking the law.
Making national news now is how an Illinois man got fed up with his local community board, and placed them all under arrest.
A Chicago TV station reports, “In a highly unusual move, the leader of a Downstate watchdog group placed an entire park district board under a citizen’s arrest for failing to allow public comment and violating a state disclosure law.
Public boards are used to facing angry crowds, but most have never dealt with what happened at one recent meeting in central Illinois.
Around 30 people showed up at a Clark County Park District Board meeting in May, hoping to openly speak about recent park-related controversies. After most sat through a 2-1/2 hour closed session, the board returned to open session only to inform the crowd that they would not be allowed to speak to board members.
That’s when John Kraft, a member of a local watchdog group, sprang into action. Rising to his feet, Kraft informed the entire board that he was placing them under citizen’s arrest for violating the Illinois Open Meetings Act; specifically the provision that insures the public can address their elected representatives at an official meeting.”
Do Community Boards violate the NY State Open Meeting laws with secret sessions?
The public is allowed to speak anytime during CB1 and BPCA board meetings
Do you suggest we follow the example offered in Illinois? And, if so, how?