It probably wouldn’t make YouTube’s top featured videos, but there must be someone, somewhere who wants to watch Woodside town meetings at home on the computer.
The anonymous blog Citizens of Woodside, or COW, has offered the town more than $31,000 to pay for equipment and a year’s worth of Webcasting service.
As a result, the Woodside Town Council wants to hear from constituents interested in watching Webcasting — video online — at its next meeting on Tuesday, March 13.
So far, the cry for Webcasting hasn’t made the leap from the online world to the real world. A chance for public comment about Webcasting and the COW donation went unanswered at the well-attended Feb. 27 Woodside Town Council meeting.
The Almanac’s call to Andrew J. Gessow, a former town bicycle commissioner who is Citizens of Woodside Inc.’s chief executive officer, was not returned.
Other towns, such as Menlo Park, offer Webcasts of government meetings, but the issue really hasn’t been on Woodside’s radar screen until recently.
That changed on Feb. 14, when COW apparently hired a courier to deliver a letter to the council and a cashier’s check to be used only for a year’s worth of Webcasting service.
Town Manager Susan George said she declined the anonymous check because only the Town Council has the authority to accept a restricted gift and to decide whether to install Webcasting equipment.
Ms. George said the courier took back the check and asked for the letter back, as well.
After the offer was rebuffed, COW posted the letter online along with a nasty rebuke of Ms. George, accusing her of being “cold and hostile” and of keeping information from the council by refusing to accept the letter.
According to COW, the money was donated by Woodside residents who want to see Webcasts of council, Planning Commission and Architectural and Site Review Board meetings.
INFORMATION
The Woodside Town Council meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, in Independence Hall, 2955 Woodside Road. Call 851-6790 or go to WoodsideTown.org for meeting information. The Citizens of Woodside blog is at CitizensOfWoodside.com.
