Monday, September 28, 2009

The Interlocutor

I am trying not to read assessments of the CEB interviews, which I thought on the whole went very well - if anyone else has even written about them.

So the other night someone pointed out to me a post by Dawne Shand on her blog or website or whatever it is ... it's right here.

All I'm going to say is that all the candidates got the same list of questions, as in the same file. The question about the CPA was at the bottom of the first page so maybe when she printed the questions, her printer cut that question off ... but she got the same list of questions as everyone else.

I was copied on the email confirming the time of her interview and I checked the attached file.

Am I being too harsh? Oh wait ... I'm the "interlocutor."


Definitions of "interlocutor," from Dictionary.com:

1. a person who takes part in a conversation or dialogue.
2. the man in the middle of the line of performers in a minstrel troupe, who acts as the announcer and banters with the end men.
3. a person who questions; interrogator.

I wonder which definition she applied to me?

Oh - I kid with Dawne, who as I may have mentioned before is actually a member of the same writers group as I am.

So you'd think she could get my last name right ... but in all fairness, I think Greg Earls called me Gillian "Stewart" as well, and James Shanley seems to have difficulty with saying "Gillian" with a soft G.

I answer to almost any permutation of my name.

1 comment:

James Shanley said...

Dear Gillian,

Sorry about mangling your name. I could swear when we first met you said your name was hard G Gillian, not J sounding Gillian. Actually, soft g is easier, so I am sure I will get it right now.

The City Council started posting meetings as a Committee of the Whole not to hide anything, but to actually allow for more open debate and discussion during Council Committee meetings. Here's why.

When a meeting is posted for a particular Committee, if more than 5 Councilor show up, it would constitute a quorum of the full Council. That is not a problem if the Councilors are silent and are there to gather information. If the sixth Councilor just can't restrain him/herself and jumps into the debate, unless the meeting has been properly posted as a full Council meeting, said Councilor is breaking the Open Meeting Law. Not good.

Upon advice of the District Attorney Office, posting meetings as Committee of the Whole allows Councilors to participate in discussions without breaking the law.

This device has proven to be handy for topics that really do need greater participation, and benefit from the more relaxed format of Committee meetings. Figuring things out on the floor is rarely pretty, and often times produces poor results.