Transparency: "The Room Where It Happens"

Source: Hamilton: An American Musical.

No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in the room where it happens.

Source: Hamilton.

Amir Omar, when campaigning to become mayor of Richardson, wrote, "As Mayor, I envision propelling our city to regional leadership in transparency." Well, Amir Omar became mayor and on Monday night, while presiding over his first City Council meeting, Mayor Amir Omar began delivering on his promise. It came during the selection of the Mayor Pro Tem.

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But first, let's review how the process used to work. The minutes of the first meeting two years ago under Mayor Bob Dubey (May 22, 2023) explains how the selection of the Mayor Pro Tem was done last time (emphasis added).

5. ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE 2023-2025 CITY COUNCIL

Council Action
Council convened in Executive Session under section 551.074 as listed below to discuss this item at 6:07 pm. Council reconvened in regular session at 7:55 pm. Councilmember Corcoran moved to nominate Arefin Shamsul as Mayor Pro Tem for the 2023-2025 City Council term. Councilmember Barrios seconded the motion. A vote was taken and passed, 6-1 with Councilmember Dorian opposed.

Source: City of Richardson.

In short, it was done in executive session (i.e., behind closed doors, out of the public eye, non-transparently). None of what happened during that one hour and forty-eight minutes is known. Even the selection process used by the council is unknown. Was it a good process? All we know is that no one came out saying they wished to conduct more business that way. The only ones who really know what happened were the ones in the room where it happens. And, as the song goes, "no one else is in the room where it happens."

Compare that agenda from 2023 with this year's agenda. See if you can tell the difference. Hint: it starts with the fact that the task is now broken out into two agenda items.

6. DISCUSS THE PROCESS/PROCEDURE FOR THE ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM

7. ELECTION OF THE MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE 2025-2027 CITY COUNCIL (CITY COUNCIL MAY DELIBERATE THIS ITEM IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS LISTED ON THE AGENDA)

Source: City of Richardson.

It's safe to say the new agenda can be credited to the new mayor. He can't dictate to the Council how they elect the Mayor Pro Tem, but he can at least get them to talk about it, at least a little. And judging by the rest of the Council's body language, you'd think they were children being asked to eat their broccoli.

City Manager Don Magner facilitated a discussion on the role, qualifications, and election process for the Mayor Pro Tem. Magner showed a slide outlining the role and the possible desired qualifications of a mayor pro tem. The council members couldn't think of anything to add or subtract. When Magner showed a slide outlining a general process for how the election would be run, the council members grudgingly admitted that that's pretty much how it happened two years ago...in the room where it happens. That much alone is more than previous city councils ever talked about in public.

So, Mayor Omar accomplished something. He did what he had the power to do himself to add more transparency to the process. He got the council to talk about the process in open session.

But...

You probably knew there'd be a but. But the mayor is only one vote. The council is made up of seven votes. Ken Hutchenrider made a motion. "I'll make the motion to move the, I guess I'll say the entire process of the mayor pro tem selection process into executive session." Dan Barrios immediately said, "I second that." A show of hands added Curtis Dorian and Arefin Shamsul in support. And that brought the curtain down on any public discussion of selection of a mayor pro tem.

In summary, I congratulate Mayor Amir Omar on trying to add transparency to the council's decisions. And I'll applaud Jennifer Justice and Joe Corcoran for joining him in voting against moving the process into secret. And I don't applaud Hutchenrider, Barrios, Dorian, and Arefin who all voted to continue excluding the public from seeing the council conduct this important business.

End of Part 1.

In Part 2, I'll examine the council's reasoning, their ultimate choice, and where we go from here.