At the Common Council’s first public work session of the year, Mayor John Lombardi III emphasized the importance of committee meetings to aldermen. Three newly elected aldermen were present at what was deemed an “orientation meeting” — Rowland O’Malley, 3rd Ward alderman and council president, Jon Wiley of the 5th Ward and Marcus Wyche of the 2nd Ward.
With Kathryn Fogle, 4th Ward alderman, absent, O’Malley confirmed that each alderman accepted their committee assignments. All aldermen said they had signed their oath of office.
O’Malley said, “It’s in our best interest for us to support each other by sharing our concerns or ideas.” He said differing points of view were valuable in finding ways to solve problems.
O’Malley also asked that if someone hears concerns about “a colleague,” they should contact that person directly. “There’s no place for rumors inside city government. All of us need to work together. There’s a lot of talent at this table.”
Lombardi addressed aldermen’s roles in convening committees and said that every alderman has automatic membership on all committees.
“You have a standing committee meeting once a month,” he said. “We didn’t have any in the last two years. … “We had many arguments many times because people weren’t aware of what was done.”
Lombardi said the Washington Hunt Trust Fund Committee, assigned to Fogle, oversees a $22,790 account. He said the fund, which was established in 1882 as a widows and orphans fund, hadn’t had any actions taken since 2004.
Lombardi also discussed that the personnel committee had oversight of employee disciplinary actions and all grievances. Wiley, who chairs the committee, asked about when to update the council of the whole on the personnel committee’s progress and what information is confidential. Corporate Counsel David Blackley explained that personnel actions are not public and are handled in executive session without minutes taken.
The state’s Freedom of Information Law details what information governments must disclose to the public, with specific exceptions. While salaries for state and local government employees are public, an exception exists for sharing details of discipline, taking leave and other personnel matters.
Lombardi will publicly swear in members of the Common Council at the next regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 14.