Council’s refusal to oppose SB1257, making cities allow firearms in public buildings or face prohibitive costs, was troubling.

Apart from the gun issue (alarming itself), the standing agenda item to consider pending legislation has been manipulated, seemingly by Mayor Kavanagh to prevent spontaneous reaction to bills.

Proposed laws are amended, added and removed from agendas with little or no notice; attempting to limit discussion to what has been previously communicated to the Manager is restrictive.

The reasoning behind this process – basically the Mayor’s explanation – is that there’s so much involved, Council doesn’t have time. One could argue it’s their responsibility, nonetheless.

If it is innocently a matter of efficiency, then Council should rely on the representation they pay for via the League of Cities and Towns. Yet they chose to ignore the League’s recommendation per Councilman Leger’s suggestion. (Councilman Magazine was absent.)

Back to Sen. Kavanagh’s SB1257. Even with advance notice, when the Manager indicated Councilman Leger was ready to address it, Mayor Kavanagh replied she “guessed that would be OK,” as if to dissuade him.

The Mayor’s third attempt to stifle information was her refusal to allow Councilman Leger an opportunity to ask law enforcement about the bill. Despite the lack of a second on his motion to oppose SB1247, the legislative agenda item was still open. A Councilman has the right to ask about serious public safety concerns. Statistics about “good guys with a gun” are not positive.

Last, saying it’s too late to have input once a bill is on the Floor is not the case. If we oppose, but it passes committee anyway, we contact all Legislators who’ll be voting as a whole, then the Governor’s Office, if necessary. Several were indeed vetoed during the Brewer administration.

The Mayor appears to want to control legislative input.