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Had a conversation today with @odetteramos about Question H, which appears on your ballot via the passage of my bill 19-0467. She raised a good question I think is worth explaining. The question boiled down to this:
Why the 20 day thing?
https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4245909&GUID=5AB00971-625F-4DE0-923D-05174C45C1CD&Options=ID|Text|&Search=dorsey
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Why the 20 day thing?
https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4245909&GUID=5AB00971-625F-4DE0-923D-05174C45C1CD&Options=ID|Text|&Search=dorsey
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First, this question stems from a problem exposed by Pugh's veto of the $15/hour minimum wage.
12 had voted for it, enough to override. All that needed to happen was for one Council member to make the motion at a Council meeting in the next 5-20 days, but none was scheduled.
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12 had voted for it, enough to override. All that needed to happen was for one Council member to make the motion at a Council meeting in the next 5-20 days, but none was scheduled.
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But in order to call a special meeting you only need 10.
No problem. We had 12 votes, right?
Wrong. One vote flipped.
But 11 is still enough. Let's call a meeting and put people on the record, right? Let's make sure there were actually 11, not 12... or 10, or 9.
Right?
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No problem. We had 12 votes, right?
Wrong. One vote flipped.
But 11 is still enough. Let's call a meeting and put people on the record, right? Let's make sure there were actually 11, not 12... or 10, or 9.
Right?
3/
Well, as it turned out, we couldn't get 10 to sign a letter, either indicating that not one but three votes were flipped, or just that it's too uncomfortable to hold one another accountable.
Both possibilities are problems, but so is not knowing which is your actual problem.
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Both possibilities are problems, but so is not knowing which is your actual problem.
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So, what does Question H do?
If there's no meeting scheduled within 5-20 days of a veto, then whenever the next meeting occurs, any one member of the Council can call for an override vote.
So why not get rid of the whole 5-20 day thing altogether?
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If there's no meeting scheduled within 5-20 days of a veto, then whenever the next meeting occurs, any one member of the Council can call for an override vote.
So why not get rid of the whole 5-20 day thing altogether?
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What if the veto comes when there's another Council meeting scheduled the same day, the next day, three days later? (It's rare, but happens a couple times a year.)
That's not very much time to whip the votes and maneuver. Five days gives a little breathing room.
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That's not very much time to whip the votes and maneuver. Five days gives a little breathing room.
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So strike the 20 day thing?
No. If Council meetings are scheduled on both days 7 and 14, you're not required to move to override on day 7. You can wait until 14. You might need to do this if you're still working on shoring up your votes.
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No. If Council meetings are scheduled on both days 7 and 14, you're not required to move to override on day 7. You can wait until 14. You might need to do this if you're still working on shoring up your votes.
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Alternatively, if you want an override to fail and you know the other side is still trying to get its votes together, hoping to override on day 14, you can make the motion on day 7 and watch it die.
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So, the existing provisions have their purpose.
But with the passage of Question H, if (and only if) there's no meeting in that time, even if the votes aren't there, any one Council member can make the motion at the next meeting, whenever that may be.
But...
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But with the passage of Question H, if (and only if) there's no meeting in that time, even if the votes aren't there, any one Council member can make the motion at the next meeting, whenever that may be.
But...
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Still need a 2nd to the motion in order to actually get to a vote.
I hope one day I get the opportunity to be that guy - whether to make the motion, or to second it.
It'll piss somebody off, but I'd rather be that guy than the one who hides behind there being no vote.
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I hope one day I get the opportunity to be that guy - whether to make the motion, or to second it.
It'll piss somebody off, but I'd rather be that guy than the one who hides behind there being no vote.
10/
That's your inside baseball. I hope all two of you who read this thread enjoyed it.
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