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Murphy: Who elected the Globe and Kevin McCrea?

Murphy on live TV.Murphy on live TV.The City Council today appointed former Councilor Maureen Feeney as city clerk in a process that would have taken about 30 seconds if council President Steve Murphy had not taken the opportunity to rail against "the broadsheets" and a former mayoral candidate.

For 15 minutes, Murphy excoriated the Globe and Kevin McCrea, accusing them of creating a circus with moving goalposts that bordered on harassment and only showed they want to chose the next city clerk, but they don't have the right because who elected them?

"The media wants to disqualify anybody and everybody who has had the good fortune to be elected by their peers and by [their constituents]," he said. "They resent the fact the city charter gives US the authority to [pick the clerk]. They want the authority. And who gave them the authority? No one."

Murphy said he ran a completely open process to find a new clerk, and it's not Feeney's fault she was clearly the most qualified of the 26 people who applied, with 18 years of leadership in municipal government. He said half the applicants didn't even have bachelor's degrees.

He blasted "the broadsheets" for spending what he said was an inordinate amount of time reporting on and criticizing the selection process and questioned why these newspapers aren't spending as much time investigating the selection of members for the new state gaming commission, which will oversee "billions and billons" of dollars worth of gambling transactions.

And he accused McCrea of making "a circus" and "a spectacle" out of interviews with Feeney and the other finalist, Natalie Carithers of Dorchester, by, he said, sticking a camera in Feeney's face. "It bordered on harassment," he said.

Councilor Tito Jackson (Roxbury) rose briefly to explain why he was voting "present," instead of for Feeney: The council, he said, should have taken more time than the week Murphy set aside to look for candidates. "We have fallen short of the best process," he said. Councilor Charles Yancey (Dorchester), voted for Carrithers. All other councilors voted for Feeney. Because Feeney resigned her seat before her replacement, Frank Baker, could take office, there was no vote from District 3.

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Comments

You guys should really do your homeowrk. Your article says that the City Council "appointed" Maureen Feeney City Clerk. They did no such thing. They elected Maureen Feeney the City Clerk. The Boston City Charter empowers them to elect a City Clerk. They did their duty. If folks don't like who they elected then don't elect the City Councilors.

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That's what "appointed" means -- when government officials choose another government official. Even if they hold a vote to do it.

"Elected" would mean the public got to vote.

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Can you cite exactly where in the city charter it gives them this power and duty? I can't find it.

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Government Information http://www.bpl.org/research/govdocs/ at Boston Public Library would have more information. Please post what you find about about this...

> Can you cite exactly where in the city charter it gives them this power and duty? I can't find it.

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Page 25 of this document. (interestingly, the version of this document linked to from the City Clerk's page on cityofboston.gov is incomplete and unsearchable!

The pertinent section:

SECTION 52. Term of Office for City Clerk. In the year nineteen hundred and eleven, and every third year thereafter, a city clerk shall be elected by a majority of the members of the city council, to hold office until the first Monday in February in the third year following his election, and thereafter until his successor has been duly chosen and qualified, unless sooner removed by due process of law. The city clerk shall act as clerk of the city council established by this act. [Acts of 1909, c. 486, s. 22]

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How would you persuade officials to step up efforts to make public documents of Boston City Council more searchable?... the Council President's recent letter about the City Clerk was in unsearchable formating, Council materials sent out by email http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/citycounci... are unsearchable, emailed materials aren't available online.

a) Does the City Clerk/City Council have a searchable public database for following the public dockets, proceedings of the public meetings of Boston City Council?... b) How might it be made available online for all ?... c) with all its enhanced features for using the public database.

How does City of Boston Department of Innovation and Technology http://www.cityofboston.gov/doit collaborate?

Draft Open Government Strategy for Boston
http://www.cityofboston.gov/open
http://www.cityofboston.gov/newurbanmechanics/

d) Closed Captioning for folks with hearing loss needed on webcasts of public meetings of Boston City Council
at
http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/live.asp

see also
http://www.cityofboston.gov/disability

Contact each Councilor's office separately for a Councilor's newsletter, press releases, emails, et al
at
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil

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I think Steve Murphy is looking forward to the day when he can accept one of these alumni jobs. I know I am.

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Proud to call Tito Jackson my district city councilor.

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By email please send the full transcript of the last public meeting of Boston City Council stored in the computer file on the Diamante http://stenograph.com Stenograph machine in the Council Chamber.

Hearing loss.
a. More accessible for folks with hearing loss.

Read vs. video
b. Easier to read through than watching video.

Search
c. Searchable.

Complete
d. More complete than minutes.

Budget
e. Budgeted for with public funds.

Council Communications
f. It's to Councilors' advantage to let all know their words.

Feedback, questions.
g. A better opportunity to submit feedback, comment, questions, suggestions, ideas in context to Councilors' words.

Improved Council Communications.
h. Improves Council Communications.

Removal from City Hall.
i. The computer file shouldn't be removed from City Hall according to guidelines of the Records Management Unit
at
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcrmu/rmuidx.htm

Lack of response.
j. No response at all to the previous request that's over 10 days and under 90 days old.

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It's good that 2 Councilors aren't in lockstep. It's for those following the Boston City Council to observe the new Boston City Clerk's adherence to FOI freedom of information public records and Sunshine open public meetings principles of open government. And as well the City Council President and the de facto legal advisor to the Council Staff Director A.H. Braga, how they adhere to FOI freedom of information public records and open public meetings principles of open government. For that matter the hundred or so Boston City Council staff and their lack of knowledge, lack of adherence to FOI freedom of information public records principles. The hundred or so City Council staff should be advocates for the people, removing barriers to access an open government.

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"HOW DARE YOU PEASANTS QUESTION OUR AUTHORITY TO SPEND YOUR MONEY CREATING PATRONAGE JOBS FOR OUR FRIENDS!!!111"

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Yet another reason I'm happy I don't have to live in that cesspool of a city.

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Seriously. You're a douche, and the city council is rightfully being called out for it's incestuous back patting.

Feeney quit her job and left her constituents hanging to spite. She shouldn't be rewarded with a council appointed job.

Hell, there should be a much longer period between when she could have even applied, let alone this monkey act to appear as if the council wasn't already decided.

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... to vote him off the City Council Island. They didn't do it.

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Elect him again, you idiots.

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Ohhh.... you used a dirty word! Now we know you're serious!

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Let's hear it for Suzanne Lee at-large in 2013!

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It is what it is for now, but seems to me we'd all be better served if the city clerk were elected as town clerks are, so the position is independent of the legislative body. After that change, then we can talk about direct election of the school committee too...

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Somerville and Cambridge don't. I don't really see why it should be an elective position -- what platform would candidates run on?

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But it's also apparent its become a patronage job, and the city council made no effort to find the most qualified candidate to fill it.

We still have 9% unemployment nationally and typically 8 qualified people apply for every 1 job. Thats qualifications on paper, not taking into account other factors. And the Boston city council expects us to believe that the most qualified candidate is the one quit her constituents and was right under our nose all along?

Please.

They had a pony show and probably did what they talked about over a private dinner. Murphy is pissed that the globe and people actually paying attention picked up on it and dare voice that this kind of shit stinks. No one would have raised an eyebrow if they did their damn job, and legitimately fielded for the best candidate.

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Names of the twenty-six-plus 26+ candidates for Boston City Clerk... request via
http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/?id=27

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I have received your letter appealing the response of the City of Boston to your November 3, 2011 request for records.

Upon completion of my review of the matter, I will advise you in writing of the disposition of this case.

Any further correspondence concerning this specific appeal should refer to the SPR case number listed under the date of this letter.
Very truly yours,
Shawn A. Williams, Assistant Director
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcrmu/rmuidx.htm
email
pre at sec.state.ma.us

SAW/js

cc: Ms. Ann Hess Braga, Esq.
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/

ENSE PETIT PLACIDAM SVB LIBERTATE QVIETEM
She seeks with the sword a quiet peace under liberty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Massachusetts_co...

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth
Public Records Division
One Ashburton Place 17th Floor
Boston Massachusetts 02108
tel 617 727-2832

December 21, 2011
SPR11/366

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On Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 11:10 AM, Braga, Ann Hess [Boston City Council Staff Director]
wrote:
> Good morning -
> I am writing in response to your requests for information regarding the stenographic machine information.
> Ellen Fritch [City Stenographer] will be able to meet you on Wednesday January 11, 2012 at 11AM in the Council Chamber on the fifth floor of City Hall to view the record inputted into the stenographic machine for the meeting of January 2, 2012.
> Please confirm your attendance. Thank you.
> Ann
> Have a great day!

Hi !

Please transmit it via email...

1. Quote
"SD card. Conveniently move jobs from the writer to your computer."
"Thumb drive. Copy jobs quickly and conveniently with a USB memory stick"
http://www.stenograph.com/marcom/pdfs/Diamante_bro...

2. User Guide
at
http://stenograph.com/pages.aspx?docid=531&id=1470001

3. Raj Pareek, the city's manager of e-government initiatives is informed about how easy it is to transmit.
http://www.cityofboston.gov/DoIT/about/units.asp

4. Records Management.
Please don't allow the original stenographic record to be removed from City Hall in accord with Massachusetts guidelines for preservation of municipal records
at
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcrmu/rmuidx.htm

The stenographic record stored in a computer file on the Diamante Stenograph machine is easily downloaded.

> By email please send the full transcript of the last public meeting of Boston City Council, a computer file stored on the Diamante Stenograph machine in the Council Chamber...
> Access
> a. More accessible for folks with hearing loss.
> b. Closed Captioning not available on City Council cablecasts/webcasts.
>
> Open government
> c. Searchable.
> d. More complete than minutes.
> e. Easier to read through than watching video.
> f. Budgeted for with public funds.
> g. Improves City Council Communications.
> h. Councilors' words in the public meeting are available for feedback, comment, questions, suggestions, ideas.
>
> i. Wider understanding of Council proceedings through Councilors' plain words in the public meeting rather than interpreting the arcane agenda, arcane minutes.

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