Politics & Government
Discussion Over iPads on Dais Continues This Week
How can council members and other elected city reps assure the public they are not using phones and iPads to receive outside message?
The discussion over whether iPads and other mobile devices should be allowed on the dais continues this week, at the Technology Advisory Committee’s meeting on Wednesday.
Critics say council members, planning commissioners and other elected city representatives could use electronic devices to receive information from developers, lobbyists and other special interests seeking to sway their decision. Proponents say iPads are efficient because they provide documents and reports electronically and reduce copying and paper costs.
One idea that was presented at the February 6 city council meeting was switching iPads and cell phones to “Airplane Mode” which would allow electeds to review documents downloaded prior to a meeting, without enabling email access. Another idea was display members’ screens behind them to ensure they were viewing related documents instead of checking out Facebook or other sites.
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For Mayor Dave Glass, the issue comes down to trust.
“I don’t have an iPad and I won’t be getting one, but to me it’s about how do we assure the public that there isn’t outside communication coming in?” Glass said. “It’s a game changer and some people don’t trust it.”
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Vice Mayor Tiffany Renee, who has an iPad that she uses for both her job as a web developer and for city business, said that the implication that council members would be more likely to break the law if they had access to iPads is wrong.
“I took an oath when I took office and…now suddenly something has changed because we are talking about using an iPad?” Renee said. “Some of these policies really get into a nanny state, so do we also have people who follow us around (to make sure council members don’t discuss city business in groups?) The information age is here and it’s very useful.”
Following Wednesday’s discussion, the Technology Advisory Committee will make a recommendation to council, which will discuss the issue during the March 5 meeting. Wednesday’s meeting will be held at 7pm at City Hall.
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