2011-01-14 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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MS. O’HARA: We just did that. MS. GARSON: Just vote. ACTION ON MOTION: All:Aye. MS. NICHOLSON: Any opposed? None. CORRESPONDENCE: MS. NICHOLSON: All right. Since Mr. Hoffmann is not here, let’s just jump right into Correspondence. And actually rather than take these all at once, I kind of like to take them one-by-one. So if he appears in the middle of this then we’ll go back to where we started. So the first one was MS. WONG: Are we discussing them at this time or are we MS. GARSON: I think you should discuss them as they come up. This is the opportunity to discuss this. MS. NICHOLSON: So the first one is 2010-145, Response from Guy Toyama, Energy Advisory Commission. Do we have…Oh, there he is. So, we will for now, table the discussion on Correspondence, and go back to Agenda Item 4, which is Discussion, and question and answer session with Councilmember Pete Hoffmann regarding response to questions from the Cost of Government Commission. Ready to go? Thank you for coming. MR. HOFFMANN: Well, thank you for being tolerant. I have a car and the car is not being very friendly, I’m sorry to say. And I appreciate the latitude of being late. And I don’t mean to do that normally. Thank you. And I thank the commission for the opportunity to present just testimony rather than trying to answer questions in an e-mail response. And I say that because quite frankly folks, over the past six years that I’ve served on the council, I’m an advocate for many different ways of trying to conduct business. But I’m also a little bit disappointed at the manner of which we, the council, have conducted some of that business. And I think there are a number of things that can be done. I’m a little more passionate and perhaps a little bit less objective than I should be about some of the comments that I’ll make. But please bear with me. And I couldn’t try to put that, I think, properly, in an e-mail. And that’s why I thought perhaps a general explanation would be good and then I’m of course open for any questions that you might have as well. And thank you Kathy for setting this up, for letting me have comments. Madam Chair, I don’t know how much time you want me to commit me to comment or make a presentation. MS. NICHOLSON: I believe we’re ready to give you as much time as you feel. MR. HOFFMANN: Never, never, absolutely never approach a public official or an elected official in that manner. But thank you. 3