A message to Maricopa’s mayor

This editorial is written to Maricopa’s Mayor, Anthony Smith, in response to his comments, which appeared in the Friday, Aug. 20th edition of the Maricopa Monitor, page 2, in an article titled “Councilmember ‘retracts’ letter to media.”

The Mayor’s statement:

“When one council member or members of that body go and try to get information on their own without the encouragement or official portion of the council, then sometimes communications and results can get kind of screwed up.”

Response:

We would like to remind the Mayor that, at no time, is any member of the Maricopa City Council required to seek permission of the Mayor, City Manager, or any other member of Council, in seeking information.  The only time a member of the Council is required to seek approval from the Mayor is when co-sponsoring an item on either the regular or executive session meeting agendas.  Members of Council may be required, per code, to utilize the City Manager to request such information but do not require the City Manager’s permission, nor are they required to justify the request.

Each member of the Maricopa City Council was elected by the citizens of Maricopa, and each has an equal voice and equal vote.  As members of Council, we openly support, and defend, the right of every member of Council to have free and open access to any and all information they require to make the decisions they feel are right for our City’s future.

Respectfully,

Marvin L. Brown and Alan Marchione, Council members, City of Maricopa

File photo

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