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Posted on 08/07/2003 2:55:58 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
Denver's government-access television station was barred from covering a City Council discussion on the budget crisis Wednesday because a councilwoman served cinnamon rolls and didn't want her group to be taped eating.
Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz made the request last week to Channel 8 through Council President Elbra Wedgeworth, Wedgeworth said.
"It's not a big deal because the meetings still go on; they're still public," Wedgeworth said. "We rarely do something like this. It was a one- time request."
Faatz did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Nine council members attended the finance meeting, where Faatz passed rolls around the room.
Council members highlighted their budget priorities for the city, then listened to budget officials, who said sales tax revenues continue to lag.
That might force more city workers to be laid off before the year's end, officials said.
Fifty employees have lost their jobs this summer, and nearly 150 jobs will remain vacant.
The no-camera request, which came Saturday, was the second made to the city-owned station within a week.
Channel 8 officials also were notified that they should not attend a Friday meeting in which the full council will discuss a proposal from the mayor to overhaul the city agency that oversees employment, hiring and pay issues.
Steve Hansen, the content and marketing supervisor at the station, confirmed Wednesday that Councilwoman Kathleen MacKenzie made that request.
At the meeting, council members are expected to debate the merits of Mayor John Hickenlooper's plan to revise the city's charter dealing mostly with employee-pay issues.
Hickenlooper has stressed the importance of involving Denver residents and city employees in discussions about pay issues, layoffs and potential reductions in services as the city grapples with a $70 million shortfall in the 2004 budget.
Meetings on Channel 8 typically are shown live, and replayed during the week so Denver residents can watch from home.
When asked about cameras being barred from Wednesday's meeting, MacKenzie denied any knowledge of the situation.
But less than an hour after MacKenzie was questioned, station officials said, MacKenzie's office called Channel 8 and said that Friday's meeting should be televised.
MacKenzie denied that any request was made but defended not televising Wednesday's committee meeting.
"Channel 8 laid off two people, so there's no way that they can cover every single meeting," the councilwoman said. "There's a limited budget they have over there."
Anybody?
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