“This Session of New Castle County Council Has Been Bought and Paid For By…”
Just when you think the ethically-challenged members of New Castle County Council can’t look worse than they already do, they prove that you thought wrong.
According to Associated Press, WPVI-TV, and WDEL (anyone missing there?), New Castle County has voted to allow paid advertising on the Council website.
The story is sketchy. ‘Bulo tried in vain to check the minutes from the May 13 meeting, but they are not yet up on the site. Bob Weiner, with whom El Somnambulo usually disagrees, cast the lone ‘no’ vote. It was the right vote. Maybe, just maybe, there are restrictions on who can advertise. Otherwise, can you just imagine? Comcast, Verizon, Building & Construction Trades, whatever outfit Pam Scott shills for? The list of advertisers with potential conflicts of interest is far longer than the list of those w/o such conflicts. Not to mention, of course, the conflicts of interest for council members.
The Beast Who Slumbers hopes that the minutes will be made available to the public on the website before the ads are. It would at least give the false impression that Council has its priorities straight.
Which reminds El Somnambulo…in these tight fiscal times for government, ‘bulo is relieved that County Council has found time and the funding to prepare and put online (‘bulo is not sure whether printed copies are also distributed) campaign propaganda masquerading as a County Council newsletter. Basically a lot of pictures of oversized checks being presented and the like(PDF format).
Maybe Council hopes to recoup the costs for this disgraceful misuse of public funds through advertising. To which ‘bulo replies, two wrongs don’t make a right.
A Major El Somnambulo Tip of the Sombrero to the Person Who Tipped Us Off to This. He would be delighted to thank the person by name here should the person want him to.
Maybe this is one reason that the council doesn’t want to let people listen to the meetings?
I’m hoping the council starts looking like race car drivers, with patches and advertisement all over their clothing.
Now, THAT’S funny!
You’re welcome, El Somnambulo. No special thanks are needed. I’m just happy to see the information in print somewhere other than a Philadelphia publication or half-assed radio station! Shouldn’t someone on the council have run this past King Coons, or maybe a lawyer, before voting on something this bizarre?
(‘Bulo assumes butt-kissing pose)…any station with Alan Loudell on it is not half-assed, although it has at least one total ass taking up valuable air time!
If they televise the Council meetings, they could do “product placement” advertising.
I think I’ll take out an ad for a Natural Male Enhancement product. I would make a testicular reference here, but I will refrain out of respect for UI.
It’s something every male on council could use (cheap shot meant to be taken figuratively, not necessarily literally).
The thing to do is to create a commercial to sell something plausible (like a zoning scheme) for something that uses tape from a Council meeting doctored to make that sale. See if they will take that ad…..
Awesome idea, Cassandra!
The Beast Who Slumbers hopes that the minutes will be made available to the public on the website before the ads are. It would at least give the false impression that Council has its priorities straight.
Som, that one is funny. Know why? Because it will take a damned FOIA request, one that those blowhards can figure out a way to deny.
On the heels of that last comment, should NCCo-based bloggers pool some funds and take out banner ad space for a petition to make recordings to be posted online MANDATORY?
edit: sorry, Cass…I totally went off my temper-deep-end with these jokers again and managed to blow right past your comment. You thought of it first!
You know, speaking of one’s self in the third person gets pretty old pretty fast…just sayin..
~~
now to the topic at hand…
WHAT RSMITTY SAID~!!! ..er and Cass and…I also blew past the thread comments.
Jesse Chadderdon sent me word of this horror in his E-Blast of News from the Hockessin Community News. There is a decent article on it, including a huge photo of Timmeh.
The rub is that Timmeh voted against the use of the county web site to inform constituents of his actions by voting against a web cast of county government public meetings.
To not accompany the web ads with web casts would be some kind of hubris.
Maybe we should tell them that they can put commercial breaks in the middle of the council podcasts.
Oh…Geek…nice one. This thinktank is working!
Now, where’s the drinktank?
What’s the problem? Are you that opposed to business that you think even the public mention of businesses corrupts the process?
This makes sense and I can’t even understand your opposition. Everyone will know who buys the ads and it will save taxpayers money while enhancing their connection to government by allowing a better site.
The only thing strange about it is that they are just now getting around to doing it.
I would understand a little better if you were talking about the police cars with sponsorships like one local community investigated or ads targeting children in school tv. I may not agree, but those have other factors attached.
Again, and this seems to be becoming my bigger mantra of late, it’s the image…the impression it leaves behind.
They could have all the honest and goodness intent in the world, but it won’t change the image it gives, the image of being compromised, or better yet, corrupted by funds.
Seriously, what if they had an ordinance at hand, that by all intent needs to be approved, but would cause damage to the business of a good advertiser? THAT is the image.
I couldn’t disagree more. Who in their right mind would think the county would make decisions based upon what they could get for an ad? As long as it is open to everyone on the same terms, there is no issue.
In one way, A Delaware Patriot is right. Council has always been for sale, why not just make it official?
Let’s just put big “Delaware For Sale” signs at both ends of I-95.
😆 @ El Som.
ADP: I think almost everyone that participates here, and I can tell you of many (and I sincerely mean that) from my district of NCCo that would have NO faith that they’d act honorably in the face of the situation I presented in #16.
We should also install billboards on the White House, the Supreme Court and the Capitol.
ADP (AKA DA) – what would you say if ACORN started putting ads on the White House website?
I had a brief discussion with Councilman Reda last night at a community meeting about their vote on the issue and he said that all County Boards and Council meetings are (or will be) available on a CD by filing a FOIA and paying the cost for generating the CD.
I told the community that I would look into arranging to buy a copy of all the meetings and having them posted on the NCC Civic League website. Most everybody in the room loved the idea… most everybody.
While I applaud that Bill, it remains a shame that you, a constituent, are forced to go through all that effort on your own time.
Thank you, though!
Bill, you ROCK.
Bill rawks. Can you imagine the difference if Bill was Council President?
We can YouTube them with a picture of the member who is speaking… heh.
Doesn’t the state have the same deal for CD’s of the GA, or am I mistaken?
LG – Isn’t outing against the “rules” here?