A second public forum to discuss potential private uses for the historic Main Building at St. Paul's will take place Thursday evening, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. in Stewart School's auditorium. Please see this week's mayor's column on page 16 for more details. As with the Nov. 13 public forum, Mayor Barbara Miller noted that she and village trustees would be in attendance to listen to residential questions, comments and concerns and panelists' responses.

Trustee John Mauk strongly disagreed, stating at the Nov. 20 trustees' meeting, which began a half hour late, that guidelines should be set forth as to how future forums should be run.

First and foremost, Mauk believes trustees should respond to questions and/or comments. He said that although the board recognizes that the primary objective of public meetings is to enable residents to impart their views on the issue of St. Paul's to the board, such meetings are also held for residents to obtain responses from trustees.

Mauk stated, "I'm proposing that members of the board of trustees be allowed and encouraged to respond to appropriate questions and comments from the public at future meetings, especially those that are directed at board members personally," Mauk said.

"I had a number of questions, a number of issues, that were directed at me personally, which, mayor, I found I wasn't able to respond on until I finally got up. Then I understood only after the fact that you were trying to cut me off. I don't think that's appropriate. I think we need to have an understanding on that in going forward. I think it should also be understood that all board members retain the right to comment in these public meetings on any aspect of this issue," Mauk continued. "I can't recall any other situation where a moderator, especially a mayor, declined to respond to questions and comments."

During the Nov. 6 work session, Mayor Miller said, the board redefined those guidelines. "I do think that public meetings of this sort should be presented objectively and we should have an opportunity to listen to the public. That's just a difference between the two of us," the mayor told Mauk. "Like I said, those guidelines were redefined by this board and that's what I followed. If I do recollect, this board's consensus was to sit and listen. That's what we had done with the public zone. I don't remember anyone objecting to that."

Regardless of what happened in the past, Mauk wanted to implement this change in moving forward. A motion was made to enable trustees to comment at future meetings. Trustees Robert Rothschild, Peter Bee, Gerard Lundquist and Mauk voted in favor while the mayor and trustees John Watras and Jon Segerdahl voted against the idea. Trustee Peter Negri however was not present and since an absent trustee counts as a negative vote, it was even at 4-4.

Mayor Miller however, said that if that was the board's consensus, which it appeared to be, she would follow accordingly at future meetings, enabling trustees to respond to public comments and/or questions.

"Not to respond is not fair to the public and the person asking the question," Mauk concluded.

The regularly scheduled board of trustees meeting, also slated for Thursday evening, Dec. 4, will start at 7 p.m. in the Stewart School auditorium and will be recessed or adjourned by 8 p.m. to allow for the public forum.