Since the Township Meetings have devolved into Theatre, I have decided to treat them as Theatre.  When David Gordon posts his meeting report, we'll post it.  Until then, here's a Jim Nelson Perspective/Review:

The May 23rd special meeting was very special.   Trustee Dockett arrived on time and promptly sat down in the audience seats.   Trustee Otto walked in late and sat down in the Chairperson's seat.  Supervisor Chockley had notified beforehand that she would be out of town.  Trustee Janet Chick was missing, but with notice.  Treasurer Lenore Zelenock was also missing, with car problems we later learned.  She arrived later, in time to consider all of the 7:00PM meeting Agenda items.

When Wayne Dockett sat down in the audience he faced three Boardmembers who could not convene a meeting.  A quorum requires four.  The planned closed session would have required five.  So the Special meeting never began.  Now for the ugly details:  Trustee Otto, the Chairperson in Chockley's absence, didn't leave her chair or walk the thirty feet to implore or politick Dockett into rejoining the Board.  Instead, she spent most of the half hour reserved for the meeting playing with her phone.   Bear in mind that this is a Trustee who's constantly lecturing people about her vast and wonderful leadership skills.  Otto sat there until after 7:00 PM playing with her phone. 

Five minutes after the regular 7:00 PM meeting was to begin, in what actually was an example of leadership, or more simply, initiative, Trustee Beliger rose from her chair and walked over to Trustee Dockett.  Wayne was still seated in the audience.  Beliger asked Dockett to rejoin the meeting.  Dockett agreed.  Meanwhile, Trustee Otto had moved to the audience section to speak with Andy Lakato, whose ambitious non motorized path fundraising efforts we later learned had raised about 25% of the needed $6500.00 cash. 

At 7:08 PM Township Clerk Kathy Manley keyed her mic to request Otto's presence to chair the meeting.

Dockett took this as an opportunity to backstab Supervisor Chockley, promising that now everyone would see how a meeting should be run.  Township Clerk Manley countered, saying that the length of meetings is determined by the size of the agenda.  Relentless in his toadying for Otto, Dockett denied this, saying it's all about the person.

Dockett's toadying is ironic in that Trustee Otto and her sidekick, Janet Chick, have spent years denigrating Dockett behind his back and even laughing in his face.  It's hard to forget their eye-rolls and condescending smirking during Dockett's occasional episodes of confusion.  Or their earnest dismissal of Dockett's frequent requests for fiscal openness, planning, and honesty on the part of the fled Township manager, Howard Fink.  They willfully worshipped the Fink Fantasy. 

Watch individual Agenda Items discussed using our LiveAgenda:

5-23-2017 Northfield Township Board of Trustees Regular and Closed Session LiveAgenda

You can also watch the old fashioned way, from start to end using a scrubber (that thingy which allows you to move forward and backward in an online video.  Scrubbing is what that movement is called in the editing profession.)

5-23-2017 Northfield Township Board 6:30PM Special Non-meeting

5-23-2017 Northfield Township Board 7:00PM regular meeting

Meeting Documents: