City Councilors Want to Ban Computers, Texting During Meetings

Two Medford city councilors have submitted a joint resolution calling to ban the use of various electronic devices by council members during meetings.

The resolution, submitted by Robert Penta and Michael Marks, argues for the use of computers, e-mailing, text messaging, instant messaging, internet posting or any other type of electronic communication to be banned from any city councilor’s use during all city council public meetings.

These forms of electronic communication can be a distraction to council members, Penta said in a phone interview Friday. They can also cause meetings to drift away from the set agenda, he said.

"You're supposed to come to the meeting prepared for what's on the agenda and go from there," Penta said.

No one particular issue brought about the resolution, but, in Penta's view, the use of electronic communication is a recurring issue. Other legislative bodies have had similar issues as well, he said.

"I think one of my colleagues does it all the time during the course of the meeting," Penta said.

City Councilor Paul Camuso, a frequent user of computers and his cell phone, said he found the resolution "amusing."

"We're in 2011 here," he said. "Everything is done electronically now."

No matter the outcome of the vote, Camuso will continue to use the internet during meetings, he said.

"Even if this is passed, I will not be following to rule because I want to get my constituents quick and accurate information," Camuso said.

Camuso regularly uses his cell phone's internet access to pull up information and retreive emails during meetings, and, during last week's council meeting, took out his laptop to access the internet.

The resources he uses are available to all councilors, Camuso said.

"They are compensated very well," Camuso said. "There's no reason they can't purchase a laptop with the stipend they receive."

The resolution will be debated during Tuesday's council meeting at City Hall at 7 p.m.