Mayor Birney Requires Roll Calls To Squelch Absenteeism

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By Yoder:  All across the State of Washington and world it's a no-brainer the pandemic has striked hell in our lives:  death, hospitalization, declining mental health, social and family isolation, low worker productivity, absenteeism in schools and workplaces, and the list goes on. My battle was (and is) declining mental health, and social isolation. The forever masking and lengthened bombardment of variants kindled fear, the root of anxiety. Had I not taken walks in the woods and pumped iron at the gym I'd probably be on medication today.

I'm retired and absenteeism isn't a problem for me.  I cried when children couldn't be out with their friends at school and teacher absenteeism spiked. Especially for children, mental health declined precipitously; anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation were more common. 

I feel no pain for employees working in a hybrid environment. Many actually benefit. However, absentee accountability can be a problem in a virtual - in person setting. 

I report on City Council meetings weekly for government transparency and to shed light. Unfortunately, the Council, the public, even democracy aches when a public servant is chronically absent from the peoples' work. Last week, the Mayor, City attorney and City Clerk finally confronted their problem.

The fix was easy. Identify and define "regular meetings" and take roll call at the top of each regular meeting. Yes, accountability!  The State of Washington gives Council authority to remove Members if they have three consecutive unexcused absences from regular meetings. The Council ultimately decides what constitutes an unexcused absence. 

Requiring roll calls at regular City meetings could be historically significant. We can "thank" the pandemic for that.

-- Bob Yoder, Opinion, 2/12/2022