I am at that plateau that I’ve reached so often in my long years covering Commissioners Court meetings here.
Yes, it’s time to drag out that old rusty complaint about the difficulty in hearing what’s said in county meetings.
Before you turn on to something more interesting to read, I’ve mostly just gone on and tried to hear the best I can.
Yes, I have hearing aids and they help to a degree.
But lately I’ve noticed other people in the courtroom complain about the difficulty in hearing.
I just don’t think it’s a big deal to county officials.
One lady, a few years younger than I, captured the essence of what has gripped me over time.
She pointed out how the county officials gather around the table and everyone is looking in.
Now before I go any further, I’ll admit I almost lost my precious seat in the jury box (county trials are held there) and being sent to the pews outside the inner sactum.
She once worked with Homeland Security so she’s familiar with courtroom acoustics.
It seems like everyone seated at that table really doesn’t have a desire to be heard.
There only only about four or five officials that can be heard outside of the table.
But one issue has surfaced over the past several weeks.
While commissioners court officials don’t have to react during the public comments section, where so much more of the public’s concerns are revealed - it appears that strained silence creates more issues every week.
I don’t think many people think the court is listening anyway - and that’s a big irony to me.
But more often people attending the meetings want there to be a two-way street.
The folks in the pews want to be heard and they want to hear what the county officials are saying.
Over the years covering commissioners court meetings - here and in other Texas cities - the lack of a two-way conversation has almost always been a problem.
That’s because some officials are elected and they don’t want to share what they’re thinking.
As in public policy, public spending - all of the things they presumably all of the things that drove them to run for elected office.
Some are happy to be working inside a circle...happy not be heard.
They’re missing the chance to show people why they ran for office.
More importantly, they’re missing the opportunity to shape government for the good of the people.
And the people out there listening? They’d love for government to be really a two-way street.
