Must citizens choose between Church and Council?

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The matter at hand was public comment on MC2006-09, the ordinance by which City Council would abandon its hoary practice of agenda-setting and business meetings on alternate Monday evenings for a new scheme of agenda- setting on Mondays and business meetings on Wednesday in the same week.

Gil Gladden came forward and spoke against the proposed change as 'a travesty,' asking rhetorically if the Council were 'serving the city of Rahway or the city of Plainfield?'

And besides, he added, 'As Mr. [Bob] Darden pointed out at an earlier meeting, most churches have prayer meeting or Bible study on Wednesdays.'

At that, all the fine church ladies in the room pursed their lips and nodded their heads up and down. I don't know if the Council noticed, but it would be a good thing if they did.

Council President Ray Blanco proceeded to give a lengthy statement in a reasonable tone of voice that the proposed change was about making the meetings more focused and better for the Council and the public. I, for one, was somewhat confused.

Was I the only one in the room who thought Mr. Gladden's question had not been answered?

If the amount of business coming before the Council is not lessened, and the number of meetings is not changed -- one for agenda-setting, one for business -- how was the proposal making anything different or better?

Seems to me it's like trying to put 10 pounds of stuff into a 5-pound sack. You either need more sack or less stuff.
You either need more time to meet or less business to come before the Council. The explanation by the Council President and the proposal to go to Wednesdays doesn't touch on either.

Mr. Gladden approached the mike a second time -- a protocol no-no. As Council President Blanco appeared ready to stop him, Gladden said, 'Mr. President, I know we're not supposed to get into a back-and-forth, but I just have to say that you did not answer my question, which was why Wednesday nights -- as opposed to any other night, say Tuesdays or Thursdays...?'

Go, Gil!

Now here's a proposal that would address both the Council President's concerns that Council is 'rushed' in the current scheme and gets tired by 10:30 and therefore doesn't give topics the time the deserve, and Gil's concern that citizens would have to choose between prayer meeting or Bible study and Council meetings: Why not have meetings on Saturdays? The Council would be rested. They could take all the time they wanted. And there is an added bonus: more of the public would be able to attend -- a good thing, yes?

As for the belief of Mr. Gladden and some others that the Council is contemplating the change to Wednesdays to make life easier for an employee who happens to be the Rahway City Council president, that seems to me like a matter of faith, not fact...and faith, as we all know, 'is the evidence of things unseen.' That's Hebrews. Chapter 11, verse 1.

I learned that in Wednesday night Bible study.

-- Dan Damon

Keywords: Council, Church, Bible study