Joe Shaw has a funny post up at his new blog, O.C. Progressive. He got a hold of a screenshot of O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s Blackberry – the very shot that O.C. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens’ assistant took when he aimed his security camera at Nguyen’s phone at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting.
As you can see in the shot above, Nguyen had a lot on her mind…
Geeze, if every elected’s text messages on their taxpayer funded devices are going to be public people may have to resort to communicating with each other by means of actual speech! How primative. And, that might reduce communication volume to stricly relevant discourse. Hmmmm
Seriously, I have to wonder about the propriety of an elected (or appointed) texting during a public hearing – if they are texting about the issue with an outsider or member of public in the audience.
If they’re not texting about the issue in question, then they are clearly abusing the public. Either way the practice should be abolished.
They all do it.
No, they dont.
They should shut off cell phones during meetings period! How can they concentrate on the issue at hand? Is it because they probably know how they are going to vote and the meeting is just for show?
Good points all! If politicians use Blackberries to communicate during meetings that may also be a Brown Act violation.
Who knows when they may be texting each other!
Art. We are looking into that concern in Mission Viejo. When members of the public address the city council (or BOS) they deserve undivided attention. When Lance MacLean was served with a RECALL notice last Monday he was seen texting on his blackberry. Or was it black and blue I can’t say.
Seriously. While they may not appreciate what we have to say at these public meetings at least show us some courtesy by paying attention for three minutes before inviting us to sit down.
In fact there should be a notice posted that we turn off our cell phones when they are in session.