Lawmakers set policy for public input

By Nate Giarnese

Lawmakers listen up, please.A growing band of critics, including one ex-lawmaker, are clamoring for more in-person access to Carroll County's delegation of 14 state reps.Critics were stunned to hear delegation chairman Betsy Patten, R-Moultonborough, last month say that reps can be too busy to listen to citizens at public meetings.As far as I'm concerned, she couldn't have sluffed us off any faster, said David Babson, a former Ossipee lawmaker who sat on the delegation for 14 years before turning government watchdog. I don't think the public got a fair shake at all.The public might get a better shot at talking to lawmakers in person after they set a new public input policy as soon as they meet here next on Jan. 12.The bipartisan band breaks from Concord to meet publicly in Ossipee four times a year to conduct county fiscal reviews plus additional dates between December and March to set the county budget. But politicians and voters, including former county commission candidate Henry Spencer, and his wife Maureen, have left meetings peeved they were not ceded the floor.Patten, under mounting pressure to open sessions to the audience, last month said lawmakers will work up a policy over the winter.But she said lawmakers' tight schedules make extended public comment inconvenient, worrying it could cut into their time reviewing county commissioners' budget proposals. When we meet it is a work session and we are the legislative body, Patten said.Babson's outburst at a commission meeting nearly dropped outgoing commissioner Marge Webster out of her chair. Webster has repeatedly blasted lawmakers, including Babson, a bitter longtime rival, as being clueless about county government, but never shy of dicing up her budgets.I cannot believe I'm hearing that, but it's wonderful, beamed Webster, who is retiring after 21 years as commissioner.Patten said the public each week can comment to commissioners, who can pass the word to delegates.The public really has the commissioners as the governing body to go and talk to, she said.Commission Chairman David Sorensen said he came around to enjoy public input after battling intense criticism that his meetings were not always public-friendly. He told Patten, I think public input is very beneficial.I personally found it very worthwhile, he said. In many cases they were a great help to us. They took on some projects we needed looking into a little deeper.Patten said lawmakers may begin work on a policy proposal when they next meet in Ossipee on Jan. 12. She made a similar promise over the summer but a policy never materialized.I appreciate the public, but we all have work to do, she said. We are all on a very tight schedule.Meanwhile, Patten said voters can connect with lawmakers, like many already do, through e-mail.In the past we have had e-mails and letters, she said.