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clearly made as individual opinion and not a representation of the feelings o the en re City <br />Council. <br />Limit contact with board and commission members to questions of clarification <br />It is inappropriate for a Councilmember to contact a board or commission me ber to I bby on <br />behalf of an individual, business, or developer, and vice versa. It is accept le for <br />Councilmembers to contact board or commission members in order to clarify a osition t ken by <br />the board or commission. <br />Remember ihat boards and commissions serve the community, not individual ouncil mbers <br />The City Council appoints individuals to serve on boards and commission , and i is the <br />responsibility of boards and commissions to follow policy established by the C uncil. B board <br />and commission members do not report to individual Councilmembe s, nor should <br />Councilmembers feel they have the power or right to threaten board and com ission mbers <br />with removal if they disagree about an issue. Appointment and re-appointme t to a ard or <br />commission should be based on such criteria as expertise, ability to work wi h staff nd the <br />public, and commitment to fulfilling official duties. A board or commission appoin ment sh uld not <br />be used as a political "reward." <br />Be respectful of diverse opinions <br />A primary role of boards and commissions is to represent many points of view i the co munity <br />and to provide the Council with advice based on a full spectrum of concerns a d pers ctives. <br />Councilmembers may have a closer working relationship with some individuals s rving o boards <br />and commissions, but must be fair and respectful of all citizens serving on boa s and <br />commissions. <br />Keep political support away from public forums <br />Board and commission members may offer political support to a Councilmem er, but ot in a <br />public forum while conducting official duties. Conversely, Councilmembers ma suppo board <br />and commission members who are running for office, but not in an official forum in their apacity <br />as a Councilmember. <br />6. Conduct with the Media <br />"Keep them well fed and never let them know that all you've got is a chair a~d a <br />Lion Tamer School <br />Board and commission members are not authorized to represent the City o tside o official <br />board/commission meetings unless specifically authorized to do so. <br />Councilmembers are frequently contacted by the media for background and quot s. <br />The best advice for dealing with the media is to never go "off the record" <br />Most members of the media represent the highest levels of journalistic integrity and eth s, and <br />can be trusted to keep their word. But one bad experience can be catastrophic Words hat are <br />not said cannot be quoted. <br />The Mayor is the official spokesperson for the City on City positions. <br />The Mayor is the designated representative of the Council to present and spe k on th official <br />City position. If an individual Councilmember is contacted by the media, the Council ember <br />should be clear about whether their comments represent the official City positi n or a ersonal <br />viewpoint. <br />Choose words carefully and cautiously <br />Comments taken out of context can cause problems. Be especially cautio s about humor, <br />sardonic asides, sarcasm, or word play. It is never appropriate to use person I slurs swear <br />186 <br />