Resident Reinaldo Aviles remained until the 3/11/15 City Council Meeting was adjourned. *Photo by Carolyn Maxwell

City resident Reinaldo Aviles was on the agenda to speak about the lack of a civil tone and working relationship between the Council and some members of the public. Some people may leave the Council Meeting before it is adjourned because of other obligations that they have. Then there are some people who leave because they assume those who are left in the chambers will have nothing important to speak about or they are going to repeat the same thing over and over again.

Well, my dears, sometimes that could be furthest from the truth . . .

I remember not that long ago when the late Richard Piatkowski would frequent the meetings. He along with other frequent attendees of the Council Meetings would stay long after the meetings were over. They either discussed what was said at the meeting or talked about current events. There were even times when there will be discussions about political climates past and present which may or may not have dealt with Perth Amboy.

Lately there has been a ton of discussion about the new parks that are slated to come into Perth Amboy. The first park will be located on Second Street. The second park (a county park) will be located on Washington Street. There were some comments made  about these parks that were mentioned during the Council comments. Some Council Members stated why these parks were sorely needed and why those particular locations were chosen. These comments made a lot of sense to me.

Every speaker that comes before the Council should have an equal right and respect for each other. You should never make assumptions about something that you think may be said by a particular person.

I’ll give you a perfect example: One of the speakers toward the end of the meeting had some very wise words to say to the Council in regards to the rules of decorum they should follow. I assumed when that person came to the podium, that they were going to speak about a historical building in town. I was wrong.

There is a saying: “Do not assume!” Check out the Original Odd Couple TV Series episode, “My Strife in Court” (Assume Scene).

So my suggestion is, if you can – to stay until the very end and wait until the Council President says: “Meeting adjourned.”

Sometimes the After Party is when the real party begins. And the people who used to stay for the After Party know exactly what I mean. C.M.