That public forum on government responsiveness we told you about immediately below this post?
We’ve solved the mystery about the date: it’s tomorrow, March 13. The start time is in fact 7p, and the location is still the firehouse in Little Silver.
But the event may not be quite as public as suggested by the Asbury Park Press.
Keith Rella, a spokesman for Assemblyman Mike Pantner, said the event is being held by the Democratic clubs of Fair Haven, Little Silver and Shrewsbury, and is not, as one might infer from the Press article, a town-hall style meeting.
This is not to blame the Press reporter, Keith Brown. Some miscommunication between Pantner and Brown apparently occurred, Rella acknowledges, and a Panter e-mail quoted by the Press certainly creates the impression that the event is nonpartisan. “We’ve invited many residents of Fair Haven, Little Silver and Shrewsbury to share their concerns as we look ahead to this fall’s elections,” Panter is quoted as saying.
The conundrum for Panter’s office now: local residents who have gripes or solutions to suggest regarding local-government responsiveness shouldn’t feel precluded from attending if they’re not Democrats, Rella says. But Rella also doesn’t want anyone to feel “offended or tricked” when an event they thought was nonpartisan turns out to be a Democratic party function.
As for Panter’s own web-based outreach to constituents, Rella tells us, “We have had some issues with our blog, but should begin updating regularly soon.”
