Using a video camera really isn't that tough. Pop the tape in, point the lens, press a button or two and you're all set.
Unless you work for the Troy City Council Democrats, who are apparently mystified by the strange technology or are just deciding to no longer tape meetings to avoid the embarrassment of broadcasting the chaos that is now a regular feature at the Council meetings.
The Council meeting last week marked the fourth consecutive meeting Democrats have refused to tape. During the 2007 campaigns, Democrats promised to do more to keep the public informed. One year later, they refused to carry out the very simple job of taping the meetings and getting the videotape to the cable TV company.
The Democrat's refusal to tape is quite a contrast from the years Republicans ran the Council. The GOP was able to tape the meetings and get them broadcast on public access TV without much trouble.
But the taping is just another example of how the Council Dems can make an everyday issue into a embarrassing controversy. Residents have a right to see their Council in action, but Democrats have shown a surprising and disturbing lack of concern for the public's right to know.
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