Through the years, I have attended the meetings of the Alabaster City Council.

Almost two years ago, city voters swept the former council out of office for excessive bickering and their inability to move the city forward.

The sad news is the current Alabaster City Council isn’t much better. In some cases, they may be even worse.

Sure, they don’t argue and attract news cameras. They also do not discuss issues within the view of the public at council meetings.

Just before a council vote, they are asked by the council president, &uot;Is there any discussion?&uot;

Very rarely is there any discussion.

You see the discussion has already taken place at a prior work session or in the council’s pre-meeting, which takes place directly before the regularly scheduled meeting.

Everything is a solid done deal when the council meets the public at the start of the regular council meeting. I have never seen a council that votes 7-0 so consistently.

If you want to hear discussion on issues or if you want to see how the council arrives at its position, it seems as if you will have to go to the council’s frequent work sessions, which I refuse to do.

Why should I have to go to a work session to see my council deliberate city issues that I partly fund as a taxpayer? I shouldn’t have to. Even if I decided to attend a work session, I don’t have a voice.

After all, the work session is not the forum for residents to speak and address issues. When announcing the work session, the council president reminds the residents that they are welcome to come &uot;watch their council at work, but they can’t speak.&uot;

I am glad that city elections come every four years. I only hope that when election time comes again, that Alabaster voters can remember where they placed the sweeping broom after the last election.

We will definitely need it. After all, what have they done besides put in a few street lights and purchase a few cars and trucks for city use