#  City Staffers on NC Boards: A Bottomless Pit of Sticky Issues

     Details    Joseph Mailander   ![logo](https://www.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         September 05 2011       [ARCHIVE](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive)   - [  Previous Article **Actor Wahlberg and Why He “Couldn’t Sleep at Night”** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2194:actor-wahlberg-and-why-he-couldnt-sleep-at-night&catid=16)
- [  Next Article **The Invasion of Bel Air** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2196:the-invasion-of-bel-air&catid=16)

  ###### Typography

- [](# "Smaller Font")  ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger****  [](# "Bigger Font")
- [](# "Previous Font Style")  ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times****  [](# "Next Font Style")

- [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode")

> <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
>
> ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Sept-2011/cw9-71i.png)MAILANDER MUSINGS - I don't know that I want the last word in a debate with Greg Nelson. I'll give it to him.
>
> Let me preface his comment, [\[link\]](http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7148124298074306571&postID=2161030279501860698) though, which arrived Saturday afternoon on the topic of whether City Council staffers should serve as board members on neighborhood councils, [\[link\]](http://street-hassle.blogspot.com/2011/09/city-staffers-on-neighborhood-councils.html) with an observation of my own.

I must say, I think his concluding thoughts speak less in favor than more in favor of his hope that staffers might continue to serve on boards.

Nelson seems to insist, in fact, that identifying profound conflicts of interest in this system of "empowerment" is simply too much of a bother, even too impossible of a challenge, to try to remedy.

Here's Nelson with his last word on Council staffers serving on Neighborhood Council boards:

“Every 5 years or so this issue is raised by someone. First, it would likely require an amendment to the City Charter to prohibit city staffers from serving on NC boards.

“The charter allows anyone who lives, works, or owns property to serve. A city ordinance has broadened that.

“The goal of the NC system is to promote public participation, and it's hard to do that if you're restricting it. And the voters get to decide who they want on the board.

“Many city council staffers and other city employees have played important roles in forming their NCs and serving on their boards.

“Each one is just one vote, and their votes are advisory. Everybody knows everyone else, so their opinions and loyalties can be questioned and weighed by the other board members.

“Some NCs think it's a great advantage to have such a direct link to the City Council on their board.

“Once you start questioning people's loyalties you open up a bottomless pit of sticky issues. What about members or officers of unions, churches, political parties, community organizations, etc?”

*(Joseph Mailander is a writer, an LA observer and a contributor to CityWatch. He blogs at [street-hassle.blogspot.com](http://street-hassle.blogspot.com) where this column first appeared.)* –cw

Tags: Greg Nelson, City Council staff, neighborhood councils

CityWatch
Vol 9 Issue 71
Pub: Sept 6, 2011

  - [  Previous Article **Actor Wahlberg and Why He “Couldn’t Sleep at Night”** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2194:actor-wahlberg-and-why-he-couldnt-sleep-at-night&catid=16)
- [  Next Article **The Invasion of Bel Air** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2196:the-invasion-of-bel-air&catid=16)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>