LAKE FOREST : Council to Get Copies of Members Dialogue

Whether on official stationary or scratch pad, all communications between a council member and the public at City Hall will be copied and distributed to the entire council under a policy approved last week.

Approved by the City Council on a 4-1 vote, the policy also requires that:

* All correspondence sent under the Lake Forest letterhead deal with official city business.

* Committee, board or commission members refrain from writing or signing letters that describe the panel’s official position on any issue.

* No letterhead supplies be given individual council members.

Councilwoman Marcia Rudolph voted against the policy, saying she has no problem with public correspondence being sent to other council members but feels letters of a private nature from a council member should be kept private.

Rudolph also expressed concerns that the policy may violate the First Amendment right to free speech.

Councilman Richard T. Dixon said the policy was necessary. If a member of the public wants information from a council member, he said, “I think if we respond to that letter, everyone needs to know what’s said.”

When communicating to the public, council members need to be clear about whether they are stating a personal opinion or official council policy, he said.

“When one of us speaks, there is a tendency to be viewed as speaking for the city, whether or not we are,” he said.

Councilman Tim Link wanted to make sure that verbal communications didn’t fall under the policy as well.

“I would hate to see us get into a situation where every time we speak, we have to take notes” so that copies of the conversation can be given to all council members, Link said.