When the City Council convenes tonight at 7 in Council Chambers at City Hall — for the first time in three weeks — the quietude of the recess will be shattered at least one time.
The final item on a yawning agenda finally brings to the surface one of Vice Mayor Gary Silbiger’s pet subjects:
When a Council member wants a topic agendized, how many supporting votes should he need?
In recent years, Council practice has required a majority, three votes.
As the most activist-minded, most agenda-conscious member of the Council by far, Mr. Silbiger has been unsuccessfully battling this standard throughout his two terms.
Hardly anyone ever has agreed with him on the need for a policy change. This, of course, is why the Vice Mayor seeks to lower the bar.
Shortly after a 60 percent new City Council was seated last spring, Mr. Silbiger, feeling re-energized, raised the matter hopefully.
A Fresh Opportunity
With the election of sometimes-ally Chris Armenta to the Council, Mr. Silbiger believed he had at least one other reliable vote for the first time.
When last heard from, the City Hall staff said it would research the topic.
During the eight months that have passed since the Vice Mayor’s request, he has complained over what he regarded as a needlessly lengthy wait for the item to be returned.
Going into the meeting, there is no evidence Mr. Silbiger’s lingering predicament has improved.
He may gain support if he is willing to tinker with his fundamental premise, but that seems unlikely since he never has before.
On an otherwise dry evening dedicated to bookkeepers of the world, the next liveliest item is whether to form a sub-committee — that would be No. 47 in the city — to study the format of Council agendas and speaker cards.
