EDITOR:
I just wanted to clarify a few points in the recent article by Debbie Coleman-Topi regarding the recently passed Parkville transparency resolution. In referring to my comment that some residents had a misconception about the city’s openness Ms. Coleman-Topi stated: “In fact, the mayor said there’s a consensus among officials that the past administration’s missteps with open records were exaggerated by Jason Maki.” In fact I never said that, and never once mentioned Jason Maki, who I have yet to meet. I told her that the candidates that ran against me had a misconception about the city’s openness. One of them said the city should post its budget and it actually posts the last 10 years of its budgets. Another said he would insist the city do an annual audit when in fact the city does one and the last 10 years are posted on the website.
Brian Whitley and I saw this as an opportunity to enhance our transparency by making it easier to find important city documents. It is also an opportunity to enhance our openness with regard to such things as the processes we use to make decisions, such as development decisions. Also to emphasize better communication and engagement with our residents, something we have already been doing with public meetings on the farmers market and the wetlands. And I might add that the entire board is wholly supportive of enhancing our transparency and openness.
I just wanted to let you know I was disappointed that Ms Coleman-Topi saw fit to cast what I consider a forward-looking initiative into the more contentious frame of past conflicts with the former mayor. And she did it by misstating what I had said.
--Dean Katerndahl
Mayor of Parkville
