Phoning It In

Is this a relatively new trend and how many other city or county governments allow for members to attend official public meetings via the telephone??

A report in the Kingsport Times News says their mayor and alderman are squabbling over whether or not it should continue to be allowed. It's been allowed since the mid-1990s.

Alderman Ken Marsh has called in at least once, but he thinks the issue is of little concern:

"I think the policy is very effective because the aldermen who are interested will call in, and an alderman who isn't interested, won't," Marsh said. "Physically being there doesn't necessarily add anything. You've got people there who've never asked a question in the history of the world.

"Physically being there may or may not add anything to the degree of discussion or quality of the decisions."