Subject:
747 days and counting . . . will Mark Kirk say "yes" or "no" to announcing town meetings on District 10's website? (See http://illinoispoliticsblog.blogspot.com)
To:
Rep. Mark Kirk
November 4, 2009
"Will Congressman Mark Kirk place public notices of our town meetings on District 10's tax-paid website, a resource Congressionally mandated for district use?"
I know it's hard to believe, Mr. Kirk (and any constituents who may be reading this). I've taken a few minutes, every business day, to call both your Northbrook and D.C. offices, always courteous, always with the same bread-and-butter question.
That's every business day since January 2, 2008, which now extends to 747 calendar days.
Do you remember the starting point of this request? On October 20, 2007 (Winnetka town meeting), you shook my hand and said "Good idea" to my proposal: "Will you put District 10's town meeting notices on District 10's tax-paid website?" Your aide, Richard Goldberg, said "Excellent idea."
Are you managing this well? During 2008 and so far in 2009, Aaron Winters, Deputy Communications Director, has repeatedly stated he is not permitted to reveal if he has ever asked you this question. (Nevertheless, despite what may constitute a restraining order against my inquiry, and as the benchmark of 1,000 phone calls is approached, regretfully this question is being raised to an emergency status.)
Mr. Kirk, it's 747 days and counting. We need public notices on District 10's home page, at the top, ideally two weeks before each town hall meeting. Not targeted notices in e-newsletters to controlled lists of District 10 citizens. And not on "Mark Kirk's Blog" which in your nine-year tenure you've done a single time (a 2/5/09 two-day notice for a 2/7/09 meeting, since transferred to the new July 2009 website's "News Center Blog" as though it were originally a public notice). A new policy should be clearly stated on District 10's website at kirk.house.gov.
Will you give a publicly verifiable "yes" or "no"? While I continue to call for a reply, and for constituents who are following this story, here's one of four letters I'll copy below (a new one each day), sent to the Wilmette Life, exploring other aspects of your management style. (See also " Mark Kirk's honesty may be slipping due to four letters to editor" at my blog, http://illinoispoliticsblog.blogspot.com...
A YEAR OF SILENCE
(Letter to the editor, submitted to the Wilmette Life, January 16, 2009, not printed. This letter was not printed because those portions based on my interactions with Mr. Kirk are not public evidence. This prompts the question: if new evidence cannot be brought to light through the Letters to the Editor, how is the ordinary citizen to be well-informed?)
A modest proposal for democracy is pending. So far the answer has been a resounding "No."
Addressing one of the foundations of a democracy, the right of public notice of town meetings, Congressman Mark Kirk on October 20, 2007 (Winnetka town meeting), shook my hand and said "Good idea" to my proposal: "Will you put District 10's town meeting notices on District 10's tax-paid website?" His aide, Richard Goldberg, said "Excellent idea."
To follow-up calls the remainder of 2007, Mr. Kirk's aides gave non-responses. After two months, I decided, enough. Starting January 2, 2008, I called twice a day (to the Northbrook and D.C. offices), always with the original proposal, always courteous.
No one called ever me back. Every business day of 2008.
At the same Winnetka meeting, Mr. Kirk declared: "I'm in the military. I want to preserve our liberties. I'll protect your right to exercise your freedom of expression and will fight for it if necessary" (accurate paraphrase).
Wouldn't putting town meeting notices on District 10's tax-paid website be as easy as fighting for our liberties? Notices appear never to have existed at the site (kirk.house.gov). And Mr. Kirk's same-day press releases for town meetings, buried on page 3 of the local newspaper, are hollow in the internet age.
Mark Kirk's current practice of sending invitations to controlled lists of citizens does not satisfy public notice requirements. Nor does his debate-proof habit of springing snap "town meetings" via mass robo-calls. In fact, only three public town meetings, scheduled for public buildings, were held in all of District 10 throughout 2008 (none closer than seven months before the November election).
District 10's town meetings, however few, deserve public posting on District 10's tax-paid website. Not Mr. Kirk's empty handshake.
Wilmette , IL
|
