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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-13-20 Public Comment - M. Hersman - Disappointment in Bozeman City Commissioners and AppointmentFrom:agenda@bozeman.net To:Agenda Subject:Thank you for your public comment. Date:Tuesday, October 13, 2020 12:00:34 PM A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted. Form Name:Public Comment Form Date & Time:10/13/2020 12:00 PM Response #:732 Submitter ID:31413 IP address:45.131.194.87 Time to complete:21 min. , 24 sec. Survey Details Page 1 Public comment may be submitted via the form below, or by any of the following options. Public comment may also be given at any public meeting. Email: agenda@bozeman.net Mail to: Attn: City Commission PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 First Name Micah Last Name Hershman Email Address micah.hersh@icloud.com Phone Number 4065314184 Comments I would like to express my extreme disappointment in the Bozeman city commissioners and the blatant disregard for representing the will of the people in the appointment of the new commissioner. I read the online public comments before last weeks meeting and listened through the entire meeting and heard the overwhelming public comment in support of Christopher Coburn. Amongst the public comments was also a common theme of certain voices not being represented on the current commission, such as young people, people of color, and people who understand what it is like to rent in Bozeman. I also heard the current commissioners repeatedly claim to hear the calls for electing someone who represents those voices and the desire to have more diversity on the commission. This was all followed by the commissioners discussing at length their desired qualifications for the new commissioner only to quickly move to elect a candidate, who although seems qualified, was ultimately a choice that completely ignored what a large majority of the public was voicing support for. Jennifer Madgic is not a young person, is not a person of color, and likely doesn't fully understand the experience of trying to rent in this community. Although she will hopefully do a good job as commissioner, the current commissioners should be incredibly disappointed in how that process played out. It was very clear that there was no intention to elect any other candidate, especially considering none of you even discussed candidates such as Christopher or Francesca or Griffin, who all received more public comment during the meeting than Jennifer did. It was very clear that you all had made your decision before the meeting even took place. It was very clear that although you said you appreciated hearing from young people and people of color, that you actually did not hear any of us or have any intention of making that process democratic as it should have been. If you plan on completely ignoring the voices of the public then you shouldn't design the process to appear like you care what we have to say. Also, if you really wanted to make it look like you hadn't already decided on Jennifer Madgic before the meeting you could have at least pretended to discuss the most popular candidate, Christopher Coburn, who fit all the necessary qualifications and "tie breakers" by the way. Also, Commissioner Wallner, maybe next time don't use what is a clearly prepared pun with Jennifer Madgic's last name. Also, it was entirely insensitive for Jennifer Madgic to praise and feel emotional about the outpouring of public support right before she was sworn in when virtually none of the public support that called in was for her. That entire process was a sham and a disappointment to the Bozeman community. We deserve better and I hope you will all move forward in a way that actually represents the people of Bozeman and the will actually listen to young people and people of color the next time you have a chance. If you would like to submit additional documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .txt) along with your comment, you may alternately address agenda@bozeman.net directly to ensure receipt of all information. Thank you, City Of Bozeman This is an automated message generated by the Vision Content Management System™. Please do not reply directly to this email.