Let me take you bu the hand and show you how business is done at City Hall nowadays and why it's important for the public to be informed by having all local government meetings broadcasted on Public Access television.

Back in July, under increasing pressure from the public, Mayor Boughton finally appointed an ad-hoc committee to look into the feasibility of broadcasting Common Council meetings on Public Access television.

8.COMMUNICATION – Public Access Broadcast of Council Meetings. Mr. Cavo moved to refer this item back to the established Committee, including Mr. Cavo, Mrs. Basso and Mr. Perkins. Seeing no objection, the referral was so ordered by Mayor Boughton.

Now, although the committee was formed by the mayor, once you look at who's on the committee, it's becomes quite apparent that Boughton stacked the deck in his favor.

To prove my point, let's take a close look at the members on this "committee:"

Joseph Cavo: President of the Common Council who is already quoted by the News-Times, to be against broadcasting any council meetings.

Joseph Cavo, the president of the Common Council, promised in July that a committee meeting would be called to consider the televising of Danbury government meetings.

He has yet to schedule a meeting, using his power to block public discussion of the televising of government meetings.

Cavo, a Republican, opposes the televising of meetings. He says it would be too expensive.

Pauline Basso: A person who's best describe as a rubber-stamp Boughton loyalist. When you do a google image search for "rubber stamp Republican Boughton" her image pops up on your screen. Oh, she just happens to be majority leader of the Council.

Duane Perkins: the Democrat who's out of luck. Poor guy.

You can see where I'm going with this right?

Boughton and Cavo claim that the who broadcasting thing would cost too much citing a cost of 60,000 but ask yourself this question...where exactly did they get this figure from? Can News-Times reporter Elizabeth Putnam ask Boughton this question when she does a follow-up article. I'm still waiting for the mayor to answer my question from a year and a half ago when I asked him simply which city services are being drained by illegal immigrants and by how much money. Since this was his rallying cry against illegal immigrants, I thought he would have a quick answer (oh yeah, that's right, he told the people at the town meeting that he was forming a committee to look into this...)

You shouldn't be shocked to learn that the committee (as of today) hasn't EVEN HELD ONE MEETING. Not one meeting although this issue has been talked about in the public, countless letters to the editor have been written, Lynn Waller has talked about it at so many Common Council meetings that I've lost count, and most importantly, this IS CLEARLY something the public wants.

Again, we all lose and you can put the blame squarely on Mayor Boughton and the do-nothing Republicans who rather form committees than get anything done. Think I'm kidding? Go down to City Hall and find out how many ad-hoc committee have been formed in the last six months and how many have met and you'll get the picture. BAsed on what I hear around town, the committees that have met are committees based on proposals Boughton originally introduced.

You can see where I'm going with this right?

In the end, we all lose. Is this the type of leadership you expect from the mayor? Is this the type of leadership you expect from the majority political body in the city?

Again, the public has been asking for this for years. City Hall is already wired by for broadcasting (they use to televise meetings), the upgrade should NOT costs 60,000 since the wires are already in place (you don't need to upgrade wires) and Boughton and Cavo FAILED TO INFORM THE PUBLIC how they arrived at 60,000 in the first place.

Where's the survey that states that it will costs 60,000 to but the meetings on the air? Who can the News-Times call to confirm that someone told Boughotn and Cavo that it will cost the city 60,000 to get the meetings on the air? Hell, if that’s the case, why form an ad-hoc committee in the first place (since they already have the answers)?

If Bethel and Ridgefield can broadcast their meetings, Danbury can do the same (and quite easily). In the end, the mayor stacks the deck and AGAIN we all lose.

You can see where I'm going with this right?