Politics & Government

Resident to Borough: Stop the Censorship

Video of the borough council's contentious July 10 meeting wasn't posted to the website, the man complained.

When it comes to public perception, this much is clear: Phoenixville has a transparency problem.

At last week’s borough council meeting, resident Bill McGinley groused that the council’s July meeting wasn’t posted online and accused the borough of censorship.

It was during that July 10 meeting McGinley referenced—which is still absent from the borough’s website six weeks after it was held—that the council’s failure to agree on a replacement for outgoing Middle Ward representative Kyle Guie .

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It was the first time since at least October of 2010 that the borough didn’t post video of a meeting to its website; which is as far back as the records go.

Solicitor Andrew D.H. Rau told McGinley that the video wasn’t added to the site because, according to The Phoenix, during that meeting “a question was asked that could have led to litigation.” He added that the borough is under no legal obligation to post video of its meetings; all the law requires of it is that it post the minutes.

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The video of the August 14 meeting is also yet to be posted online.


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