There was a lengthy discussion regarding the proposed $6M bond to cover City Courthouse costs at the City Council Work Session Thursday night. The discussion included a query by Councilwoman Bello as to whether there ought to be a public hearing. Corporation Counsel Geoffrey Chanin stated that a hearing wasn’t required, but could be held. However, Mayor Valentine ridiculed the idea of a public hearing for a bond, stating that
If you’re going to go on public sentiment on whether you bond or not, you probably would never bond, because who’s going to get up and say, “you should bond.” … I wouldn’t do that, nobody wants to do that. We have a fiscal respoonsibility to do this. If we don’t do this, then we’ll be fiscally irresponsible. So, a public hearing is not going to give you input that says whether you should bond or not bond. It’s about what this voting body decides to do.
Councilwoman Dickinson followed up with the comment that “Well, if they knew all the facts, it might make a difference.”
