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<br />Mayor Gamec stated that he thinks the real problem with the format is in scheduling. He stated <br />that there needs to be a committed day and time for the sessions. He stated that other cities have <br />a set day and time for their updates. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he agrees that having the interplay of two people discussing <br />the issues is good, but is not a fan of having the City Councilmembers do it. He stated that he <br />feels this format has the potential for advocating individual opinions of the Councilmembers. He <br />stated that he likes the idea of having the City Administrator and Assistant City Administrator <br />discuss the cases. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that he thinks the residents like to see the Councilmembers discussing what <br />happened at the meeting and thinks less people would watch if the discussion wasn't held by the <br />City Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen noted that his concern is with the possible opportunity this gives for the <br />City Council to tilt or convey certain messages with the way a discussion is portrayed on the <br />show. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that the discussion should simply state whether a motion passed or not and <br />should not give details about how each Councilmember voted. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he feels dissenting views are important because it gives <br />perspective on the reasons behind the decisions so he feels it may be important to know what the <br />actual vote was. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated that she feels the update show should be used to discuss the <br />meeting and the ultimate decision that was made. She stated that the debated points could be <br />summarized. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he is not sure if he would like someone else summarizing <br />what he says and would like to be able to summarize his own position. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that he did not think the summary was of a specific person's point of view, <br />but what the whole City Council discussed and decided. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that he thinks Councilmember Dehen's point is that having the City <br />Administrator and Assistant City Administrator giving the update is safer than having two City <br />Councilmembers doing it because then the Councilmember cannot lobby for their position. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen agreed and noted that he also supports having the City Administrator and <br />Assistant City Administrator do the update because of the scheduling problems. He stated that he <br />is self employed and does not always know if and when he would be available for the update. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated that she also has scheduling problems because she works in St. <br />Paul and it is not feasible for her to drive here in the middle of the day for the update. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session I November 27, 2007 <br />Page 6 of7 <br />