The world’s most popular whine

We respect local pundit Larry Patella’s hardy skepticism of local leadership. We also believe in turning a questioning eye to elected officials.

But we also check our facts before putting it out there for all to see.

Patella today sent an email to his sizable listserv, titled “Have the Dictators Arrived.”

In it, Patella says that while he heard it through the grape vine, the rumor is the Vancouver City Council is planning to cut down weekly comments to where “there will only be, in the foreseeable future just one or two opportunities depending on the month where citizen will be allowed (there is that dictatorial word again “allowed”) to communicate with the Vancouver City Council.”

He then mentions he’s heard they’ll be cutting off CVTV.

The Vancouver Mayor’s response? Patella needs to put away his Franzia (the world’s most popular wine).

While Patella is only relaying the rumor, whomever started it is taking a blast from the past.

Almost a year ago to date. On Feb. 19, 2011, The Columbian ran a story about how Mayor Tim Leavitt was pondering cutting CVTV coverage of citizen comments.

They did not do that. And citizen’s forums (where I used to see Patella but have not in quite some time), are only held once or twice a month — at the council’s biweekly consent agenda meetings.

“I think Larry needs to put the Franzia back in the refrigerator!” Leavitt said by email when I asked him about Patella’s email blast. “He’s got a bad vine of grapes, unfortunately. Of course, there is no validity to either statements. The rumor is false and it’s unfortunate that Mr. Patella didn’t first inquire with me or City Council members before sending this email to his distribution list.”

The rumor got started on Facebook apparently, with someone posting a Facebook poll about it.

That got Councilor Jack Burkman fired up, and he posted to his wall on Saturday a missive against falsehoods.

“Someone has started a poll that asks ‘Are you aware that the Vancouver City Council has successfully pushed open citizen comments off the program and is no longer video taped by CVTV?'” Burkman wrote. “I’m sorry, but there is no polite way to say this except to say ‘that is a blatant lie.'”

Believe me, we’ll be the first to call out a scheming politician, but in this case it’s much ado about nuthin’.

Here’s the full text of Patella’s Monday email:

“Have the Dictator(s) arrived? Is our Right to Free Speech cleverly and systematically being denied?
The Grape Vine is reporting that opportunities to communicate with the council freely are going to be cut back even more. More than what you ask? FYI before Mayor “I was against bridge tolls before I was for them” Leavitt took office we could speak, on any subject at the beginning of each council meeting for three minutes.
Immediately after settling in his new “Cushioned Seat of Authority”, he changed all that by dictating when we could speak and moved our time slot to the back of the bus (end of meeting). He also attempted, with some success to dictate what we could or should say.
There is now a rumor going around that we may be pushed off the bus. The Rumor is saying that Instead of weekly, there will only be, in the foreseeable future just one or two opportunities depending on the month where citizen will be allowed (there is that dictatorial word again “allowed”) to communicate with the Vancouver City Council.
But wait there is more!!! The rumor mill has it that Citizens Comments will no longer be televised on CVTV. How about that?
If this rumor is true, it looks like Gavel Down Harris may have won. What did she win? Her right to silence us. Remember, she demonstrated against Free Speech when she attempted to deny us our Freedom of Speech Rights by interrupting our testimony with shouts and orders telling yours truly and others to shut up, sit down and stop talking. Why she even ordered Hiz Honor to “Gavel Down” some speakers. If this rumor is accurate she may have just won this battle to silence us. How Sad.
Now if you couple this rumored change with the quarterly town hall meetings where citizens are forced to sit and communicate with only one council member at a time, Hiz Honor will have been successful in his attempt to silence us. He will be limiting the numbers of people hearing or being made aware of individual citizen’s suggestions/complaints or council member’s response.

Hopefully there is someone at City Hall that will put this rumor to rest by telling us if or why our Free Speech Rights are in Jeopardy.
And so it goes,
Larry Patella
CDR USN (ret)”

Here’s Leavitt’s response:

“I think Larry needs to put the Franzia back in the refrigerator! LOL.
He’s got a bad vine of grapes, unfortunately.
Of course, there is no validity to either statements.
The rumor is false and it’s unfortunate that Mr. Patella didn’t first inquire with me or City Council members before sending this email to his distribution list.
Let’s hope he’ll do better next time, for the benefit of his followers.”

Here’s Burkman’s full Facebook post from Saturday:

“Things get posted on Facebook that I find amazing … and in a bad way.
Someone has started a poll that asks “Are you aware that the Vancouver City Council has successfully pushed open citizen comments off the program and is no longer video taped by CVTV?”
I’m sorry, but there is no polite way to say this except to say ‘that is a blatant lie.’
Twice a month, second and fourth Mondays at consent agendas, Vancouver City Council holds a citizen’s forum open to any topic and broadcast both live and available for replay on at www.cvtv.org (By the way, very few people show up, but we always have the forum.)
Four times a month, at every Monday meeting, there is a time for citizen comment on anything coming before Council that night; broadcast both live and available for replay on at www.cvtv.org
A couple of times a year there is a Town Hall or a Open House Forum that isn’t taped, and that’s an opportunity for those who don’t want to make their comments on camera and who want to talk more directly to Councilmembers.
Please don’t assume something is true just because it’s posted on Facebook.”