Hacker News Reader

Comment by skookumchuck | Hacker News Reader

> Obviously the various factions will have private meetings among themselves and have private meetings beteeen representatives when they actually need to get things done or come to an agreement.

Those private meetings are illegal under state law, yet the councilors do it anyway (this was brought to light during the recent Head Tax debacle).

View on HN

Of course they do. What's the alternative, turn into a rubber stamp for whatever the civil service has already decided? put everything to a popular vote?

It's hard not to sympathize with the yelling angry people. The problem seems to maybe be more that the Councilors appear to enrage people, either for their actions directly, or for actions perceived to be originating from the Councilors.

Have their been any investigations into why people find them revolting?

People will agitate for their interests, beliefs and values. Any outcome to negotiations will have winners and losers. Even if people benefit from some deal there is probably another plausible deal where they benefit more or a deal where they get just as big a benefit but their hated enemy gets nothing or is actively harmed. Without the ability to have private negotiations and present the final deal on a take it or leave it basis your negotiations will at best be slower in teaching an agreement.

Negotiations are hard, the more parties there are the harder they get. Public negotiations have very large numbers of parties, even if most of them can’t vote.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com