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Each and every day, I am approached by my fellow citizens who tell me they are concerned about the things they read in the newspaper or hear on the television news about actions taken by the Victoria City Council. Many tell me they wish they could keep up with the actions of the council, but are unable to attend meetings in person because of family or work requirements. Fortunately, Victorians can now keep up with the actions of city government right from the comfort of their own homes thanks to our new public access television channel. Victoria TV 15 is a fantastic resource for our entire community. While I strongly encourage all of our citizens to attend our city council meetings, I know it is oftentimes difficult, and sometimes impossible, to be at City Hall in person. With Victoria TV 15, taxpayers will get to see first hand how the decisions regarding their hard-earned money are made. As I walk my city council district, listening to the thoughts and concerns of those I have been given the honor to represent, I sense a hunger amongst Victorians to better understand the inner workings of their local government. Indeed, it is local government that most profoundly has an impact on our daily lives. Maximum accountability produces maximized results. Our public access channel will allow the community at large to hear what thoughts and rationale are behind the decisions made on its behalf, and, in turn, it will allow our residents to hold their elected officials, myself included, accountable for those decisions. TV 15 will give a voice to the concerns of our citizens, many of whom have never attended a council meeting in person. How will your city council respond to constructive feedback from its residents? Our community will only have to watch and determine for themselves. Government should never be operated in a vacuum. Instead, your elected representatives should seek out every opportunity to include its citizens in decision-making processes. This type of candor and openness may make the decision making process a little more difficult or cumbersome; it will require patience to listen and consider the views of others. Yet, the end result will be decisions that have been forged by the refining fire of public scrutiny.
We desperately need to look for every avenue possible to keep engaged those who provide the funds, through their hard-earned tax dollars, that keep our city moving forward.
If increased public access results in increased citizen involvement and scrutiny of city government, TV 15 will be deemed a major success.
David Hagan is serving his first term as a member of the Victoria City Council. He was first elected in March 2006 and represents District 4.