Tulsa City Council cancels closed meetings with mayor, facilitator

Tulsa city councilors won't meet privately Tuesday with the mayor and a facilitator to set the ground rules and topics for public meetings aimed at mediating disputes with the mayor.

Instead, Council Chairman Rick Westcott said Friday he will call for a special meeting -- likely on Thursday -- to publicly decide how the subsequent public meetings, hosted by the Tulsa Metro Chamber, will be conducted, the Tulsa World reported.

This blog had warned Thursday that meeting in groups of less than a quorum to decide the public's business would violate the Open Meeting Act.

Westcott told the newspaper that the council wants to make sure that it "not only complies with the letter of the Open Meeting Act, but also with the spirit and intent of the Open Meeting Act."

A sincere thank you to Westcott and the other city councilors for opting to discuss and decide the public's business in full view of the public.

Operating in the open is certainly not always the most convenient or easiest way to do their job. But in a democracy, it's the right way.

Joey Senat, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

OSU School of Media and Strategic Communications