On Monday evening, midway through a joint session of the Lewiston and Auburn city councils, Auburn Councilor Michael Farrell got up from the council table and handed a note to Mayor Dick Gleason.

The note, written on a torn scrap of paper, read: “Goodnight. This is an infomercial not a meeting.”

The topic being talked about? Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council business, a topic of compelling interest to Farrell’s constituents.

Farrell left the meeting, went home and tuned in to the public access channel so he could follow his fellow councilors’ discussions. He had left word with Lewiston Councilor Rene Bernier to bring up his objection to recommended emergency training for elected officials on the National Incident Management System, or NIMS, in his absence, and she graciously did. During the ensuing discussion, Farrell sent a number of text messages to others objecting to facts presented.

So, the subject of NIMS training wasn’t important enough for Farrell to remain at the meeting and participate in the discussion, but it was important enough for him to press a colleague to present the topic by proxy. And, it was important enough for him to send impassioned text messages during the discussion.

What gives?

Farrell was elected to represent Ward 1, which means sitting through a lot of meetings that may bore him, but by being present he can contribute to the discussion in the open.

Public service is not a convenience. When elected, it’s an obligation.

By leaving the meeting, Farrell’s constituents did not benefit from his very real — and arguably valid — objections that were better debated in open session. It’s pretty hard for Farrell to have a real say in the matter — or for Ward 1 to be represented — if he can’t even be bothered to remain at the meeting. Jeers.

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Cheers to the new partnership between the Social Security Administration and the Rumford Public Library that allows Social Security clients to participate in two-way videoconferences to deal with the agency instead of making the long trek to the nearest agency office in Auburn.

It’s the first such partnership in New England, and is a cost- and time-efficient way for clients to be in touch with the SSA. Rather than driving the 30-plus miles, River Valley customers can go to the library to file claims for such things as unemployment, retirement or disability. It’s a wonderful use of telecommunications to cut through the red tape.

If clients don’t like the videoconferencing option, they can use the phone or go online at the library to process claims and talk to SSA agents.

An added benefit is that more people will go the public library and, maybe, take out books and get familiar with the many services and programs available to library patrons. Cheers to that, too.

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