Transparency is a two way street. Just last week a member of council suggested an item should be pulled because it broke a council rule about project name being in the title. Accusations are hurled and suggestions made that the mayor and the administration play “shell games” or are somehow otherwise secretive.

What ever the reason, calling a special call meeting to define council’s priorities to the Charter Review Advisory Commission during the holidays, not mentioning it until the very end of a long first day back and then not appearing with the other meetings/agendas when the preceding week’s meetings were posted on Friday doesn’t appear transparent (while technically it was properly publicly noticed, there’s plenty the mayor has done that was technically “above board” but timing and opaqueness have led to the accusations). A special call meeting that won’t be streamed and isn’t in council chambers with the vague

The purpose of this Special Call Workshop is to discuss what City Council’s questions and priorities they want to forward to the City of Tampa Charter Review Advisory Commission.

Why? Nothing in the charter or the adopted ordinances says anything about council’s priorities in a charter review. That should be worked out when they appoint their members. From there it should be up to the citizens appointed and public comment to make recommendations to council. Council have their own Charter defined process for proposing amendments.

The Charter Review Advisory Commission is already overwhelmingly controlled by city council. And with 5 votes, council can control what makes it to the voters already.

It needs to be very clear this is not a mandate but I suspect the well is already poisoned.