MRSC has joined with Cary Bozeman, Mayor, City of Bremerton, Carl Neu, Director of the Center for the Future of Local Governance, P. Stephen DiJulio, Attorney, Foster Pepper PLLC, and Ann Macfarlane, Registered Parliamentarian, to bring you the "Council/Commission Advisor." The Council/Commission Advisor will feature a new article each month with timely information and advice you can use.*

This page contains the current and all previous Council/Commission Advisor articles:

• Less Is More: Action Minutes Serve the City Best, Ann G. Macfarlane, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Jurassic Parliament, October 2009
• "RESET" Stewardship for City Governments: 2009-12, Carl H. Neu, Jr., President of Neu and Company and Director of the Center for the Future of Local Governance™
• Using the Round Robin Method for Efficient Council Meetings, Ann G. Macfarlane, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Jurassic Parliament, April 2009
• Core Values, Cary Bozeman, Mayor, City of Bremerton, March 2009
• Leadership in these Turbulent Times, Carl H. Neu, Jr., President of Neu and Company and Director of the Center for the Future of Local Governance™, February 2009
• Five Issues You Should Consider Before You Decide to Use Your Personal Email Account or Personal Computer for Official Public Business (and five ideas to help ensure that use is transparent), Steve DiJulio, Attorney and Ramsey Ramerman, Attorney, Foster Pepper, PLLC, November 2008
• Who May Raise a Point of Order?, Ann G. Macfarlane, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Jurassic Parliament, October 2008
• How We Created Real Change in Bremerton, Cary Bozeman, Mayor, City of Bremerton, September 2008
• Why do Our Meetings Take So Long?, Carl H. Neu, Jr., President of Neu and Company and Director of the Center for the Future of Local Governance™, August 2008
• Balancing the Council’s Right to Manage Meetings With Expectations of Citizens, Steve DiJulio, Attorney, Foster Pepper, PLLC, June 2008
• How Much Should a Mayor Talk at Meetings?, Ann G. Macfarlane, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Jurassic Parliament, February 2008
• Unintended Consequences of Policy Perspectives and Decisions, Carl H. Neu, Jr., President of Neu and Company and Director of the Center for the Future of Local Governance™, December 2007
• Why the Government Lawyer may not be the Lawyer of the Council or Commission, Steve DiJulio, Attorney and Hugh Spitzer, Attorney, Foster Pepper, PLLC, November 2007
• Meeting Tips and Myths, Paul McClintock, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, May 2007
• Was I Elected To Do What the People Want or to Govern Well?, Carl Neu, Executive Vice President of Neu & Company, February 2007
• Meeting Tips and Myths, Paul McClintock, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, January 2007
• The Open Public Meetings Act and Electronic Communications, Ramsey Ramerman, Attorney, Foster Pepper, PLLC, December 2006
• Leadership: Awakening the Best in People, Carl Neu, Executive Vice President of Neu & Company, October 2006
• Meeting Tips and Myths, Paul McClintock, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, September 2006
• Public Officer Ethics: Some Do's and Don'ts, Steve DiJulio, Attorney and Hugh Spitzer, Attorney, Foster Pepper, PLLC, August 2006
• 10 Habits of Highly-Effective Governing Bodies, Carl Neu, Executive Vice President of Neu & Company, July 2006
• Meeting Tips and Myths, Paul McClintock, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, June 2006

P. Stephen DiJulio, a partner at Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC, focuses on litigation involving state and local governments, and land use and environmental law. Particular experience includes representation of jurisdictions on eminent domain, utilities (water, wastewater, storm water, solid waste systems), local improvement districts, facility siting and contractor litigation. More.

Carl Neu, author and consultant, is recognized nationally as an authority on, and an experienced practitioner of, the theory and application of governance and leadership to city councils and county boards, local government managers, and community leaders. More.

Ann G. Macfarlane is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian. She created Jurassic Parliament to make parliamentary procedure easy to learn and memorable. She provides training on leadership, meeting management, parliamentary procedure and organizational development across the U.S.

Cary Bozeman was elected to a four-year term as Mayor of Bremerton and began serving January 1, 2002. He was re-elected to another four year term that began January 1, 2006. From 1996 through 2001, Mayor Bozeman was the Executive Director of the Olympic College Foundation. Mayor Bozeman served on the Bellevue, Washington City Council from 1976 through 1993. During that time, he was elected by the City Council to three terms as Mayor.

*The Articles appearing in the "Council/Commission" column represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Municipal Research & Services Center.