Editorial: Muted public response

Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007 | 12:58 p.m.

It seems that the public comment periods of some Clark County municipal meetings are missing one important component - the public.

A story by the Las Vegas Sun on Wednesday says that since January, only four people have spoken during the time slot set aside for public comment at Henderson City Council meetings. And only 10 such speakers have turned out at meetings of the North Las Vegas City Council.

And the situation is leading some to wonder: What has happened to the public in the public process?

As Sun reporter Mike Trask notes, public turnout has remained strong and steady for major issues, such as regulation of construction blasting in Henderson and the proposed location for a technical high school in North Las Vegas. But the general public comment sessions at the beginning of every council meeting are drawing few speakers.

One North Las Vegas meeting regular told the Sun that apathy about government business is one reason.

Henderson City Councilman Andy Hafen said he suspects that "as a whole, the citizens are happy with the government and the way it's being run."

More likely, residents busy making ends meet and taking care of families don't pay a whole lot of attention to the way that local government is being run, whether it's good, bad or indifferent.

Accessibility is another likely culprit. Municipal agendas, which are often vague or riddled with bureaucratic jargon, make it difficult for residents to know when it might be important to show up for a meeting.

Or maybe people are paying attention and simply aren't spending their time in meetings to do so. Busy residents probably are more apt to use e-mail or the telephone to communicate their concerns to local officials.

No matter how many - or few - residents show up, these comment periods offer the public important opportunities to raise issues of which local officials may not be aware. Still, government officials can't hear such concerns unless residents avail themselves of the occasions to air them.