June 19, 1967 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Session 868, Minutes June 19, 1967 Page 2~ letter and Mr. Frank obtained for him a copy of the letter, dated ~y 12, 1967, signed by John J. Hamilton, Jr., President of the Board of Trustees and the letter is addressed to Honorable Nathan B. Kaufman, Mayor, and to Councilmen, City of University City, ~.~ssouri and begins, "Dear Mayor Kaufman and Councilmen.." and sets out what their problem is. Councilman Bamburg said he assumed that Mayor Kaufman received the letter and he asked whether that is correct. The }~yor said he thinks Council- man Bamburg called the communication to his attention during an executive session, and he explained that as he recollects, he turned it over to City Manager Henry and as a result of that communication (which may have unfortunately never reached members of the Council) the Council did have a meeting with the Library Board (which he believes Councilman Bamburg was unable to attend) and he asked what the point is that Councilman Bam- burg is making. Councilman Bamburg said the point is that when the Mayor receives com- munications in his official capacity they are only in his official capacity as Mayor and any communications addressed to him, which have to do with matters of substance, are addressed really to all members of the Council - any letters which are addressed to the Mayor and Councilmen ought to get to the Council. He said he had specifically requested that the letter from the Library Board be addressed to the Mayor and members of the Council. Councilman Bamburg said he is going to suggest that when letters come to the City Hall, unless they are marked to the Mayor personally, that the City Clerk open these letters and distribute them to the members of the Council, and Councilman Bamburg moved accordingly. Councilman Bamburg said the reference he made is one instance that he knows of, but has no idea how many other communications should be brought to the Council's attention and aren't because the Council doesn't get them. ~yor Kaufman took exception to Councilman Bamburg's remarks and said he takes this criticism as an insult. He pointed out that he comes into City Hall practically every morning and attends to business and has opened letters for any number of years - the Council has received all communications and this may have been one which may not have been trans- mitted to members of the Council. He added he would consider it an in- sult if Councilman Bamburg's motion were to be passed by members of this Council. Councilman Bamburg said he makes the motion, and stated that he is no more directly affected than other members of the Council except that he was trying to do his job as a representative to the Library Board in setting this up for the very purpose for which this letter was written, and then the Council didn't receive it. He said that incidentally there were further complaints about the fact that the school attorney and the city attorney weren't able to get together and that was the reason for that executive session, so perhaps if the Council had received a copy of the letter they would have been able to talk to members of the School Board and directed that the attorneys for the respective bodies get together ,