County commissioners will stop streaming their meetings on Zoom
Despite backlash, Badalamenti and Christian-Bennett voted to restrict virtual access to audio only
By Wendy DiAlesandro
Portage County commissioners on Thursday voted to “cease using video conferencing” during their meetings, despite over 100 emails and calls from constituents and the Kent League of Women Voters calling it a “mistake.”
They will continue to provide an audio feed of their meetings, accessible at some unspecified date and time, and video feeds may also become available at some later time.
Commissioner Vicki Kline opposed the legislation. Commission President Sabrina Christian-Bennett and Commissioner Tony Badalamenti voted in favor of ending live video streaming.
Live streaming has been standard practice since March, when commissioners recognized that in-person meetings were no longer advisable during the pandemic.
Although the pandemic is ongoing, the commissioners have returned to in-person meetings and now believe there is no need for video streaming. They also cited the poor quality of the audio feed, blaming the equipment.
By Wednesday evening, Kline said she had received some 80 emails about the proposed legislation, she told The Portager. By the time of the meeting, she had received 143 emails.
Badalamenti said he received 65 emails, but he dismissed them as form letters. He said a maximum of 154 and minimum of four people have tuned in to the meetings.
“Nobody’s really watching it. Less than 1 percent,” he said. “It seems like a big to-do over not much.”
Christian-Bennett said she and her colleagues are not trying to hide anything.
“We’re still open to the public,” she said. “They can still hear the audio.”
In Thursday’s video stream, Badalamenti and Christian-Bennett are visible to the camera. Kline is off to the side. Badalamenti is not wearing a mask. The audio is unclear at times, depending whether the speakers are mindful of the microphones.
The commissioners said they had previously purchased audio equipment, but it did not work. Their current plan is to look for equipment that does but didn’t provide a time-frame.
After Christian-Bennett and Badalamenti raised the possibility of stopping live streaming on Tuesday, the public reaction was swift and negative.
“The League of Women Voters of Kent believes it would be a mistake for the Board of Commissioners of Portage County to terminate the video streaming of their regular meetings,” said Deborah Barber, president of the nonpartisan voting rights organization.
“With the board room capacity limited by Covid to 10, and four of those taken up by the commissioners and the clerk, there’s precious little room for any member of the public if agency folks and staff appear for whatever issue is under discussion. Until virus protocols are lifted, I think it is imperative to continue online meetings.”
Two residents were present at the meeting, and both addressed the commissioners’ decision, one in favor and the other against.
A resident insisted that people care even if they are not tuning in to the live streamed meetings. She took Badalamenti to task over his talk of percentages and for not wearing a mask when the county health director has personally advised him to wear one.
Another resident said The Portager has sensationalized the issue.
“There’s nothing there,” he said. “I’m not afraid at all to come in here. These people are just looking for something to gripe about.”
He added that “God didn’t create us to wear masks.”
Across social media, local residents have urged people to contact the commissioners and posted links with their contact information.
Portage County Young Democrats also launched an email campaign, in which members of the community could easily contact their county commissioners with messages. The messages ranged from polite to enraged, but all opposed the reversal of live streaming.
“I have always thought that the whole point of our system of government was to encourage citizens to participate in any way in that government,” read one comment. “Your job as a leader in Portage County is to make it easy for your constituents to hold you to your word. Live streaming of these meetings should be permanent so that we may do so.”
Another asked commissioners what they are trying to hide.
“The Covid pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon,” wrote another. “Hiding meeting info to be shared at a later date should not be an option.”
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.
