Mayor Brian Conroy has missed 11 of 39 City Council meetings in
2003, according to official minutes from meetings since Jan. 2.
Most recently, Conroy missed a special Council retreat last
week, at which Council members and other officials discussed
strategies for cutting costs in next year’s budget.
Mayor Brian Conroy has missed 11 of 39 City Council meetings in 2003, according to official minutes from meetings since Jan. 2.
Most recently, Conroy missed a special Council retreat last week, at which Council members and other officials discussed strategies for cutting costs in next year’s budget.
Conroy was appointed as mayor by his fellow Council members Dec. 16, 2002. Hollister Council members vote to appoint a new mayor each year.
“I think it’s very important for Council members to attend regularly scheduled meetings,” Conroy said. Beyond that, he declined comment.
In the past, Conroy has attributed his absences to a time-consuming career; he changed jobs at the outset of the year and spends a lot of time on the road. He works for a company that looks after various grocery stores’ computer systems.
“All of us have different pressures on us,” City Manager Dale Shaddox said. “Sometimes things get in the way.”
Regarding missed meetings, Shaddox added: “It’s OK, we can always work around it.”
Other Council members have maintained better attendance in 2003 than Conroy. Tony Bruscia has missed five meetings; while Tony LoBue, Robert Scattini and Pauline Valdivia have all missed one meeting. Conroy’s 11 missed meetings make up 28 percent of the total gatherings this year.
Five of those 11 sessions Conroy has missed were “special” meetings, which are in addition to the regularly scheduled Council meetings on the first and third Monday of each month. The special meetings are oftentimes scheduled on short notice to address urgent issues; they can happen on 24 hours notice.
The Oct. 15 retreat at the Veterans Memorial Building was one of Conroy’s 11 recorded absences, while the remaining five were regular meetings. In addition, Conroy arrived 30 minutes late July 16 to a 5 p.m. Council interview of the lone police chief finalist at the time, Jeff Miller.
Bruscia pointed out attendance of regular meetings and special meetings should be weighed differently because schedule adjustments – personal and professional – are more difficult for special meetings. All of Bruscia’s five missed meetings were the special type.
“We don’t get paid much to be on City Council. We have to make a living,” Bruscia said.
Regardless of meeting classifications, some Council members said high overall attendance rates for all meetings is necessary. Absences, according to Valdivia, should be limited to vacation time or sicknesses.
“It’s a lot of meetings,” she said of Conroy’s absences. “And he probably knows that.”
Scattini also said missed meetings should be limited to vacation and sickness.
“If you’re not at these meetings, you’re not on top of things,” Scattini said.
LoBue said a Council member missing one meeting means thousands of people in Hollister aren’t represented that night.
“Before you take a position of office, you should take into consideration the time constraints,” LoBue said.
The elected Council posts are not full-time positions, and Council members are paid $400 a month. Shaddox said he sympathizes with Council members’ hectic schedules.
Regarding Conroy’s absence from the retreat, he said, “I plan to sit down with him and give him a full briefing of what we discussed.”
