Changing city council meeting time will cut citizen participation, advocates say

Winston-Salem City Council delayed a vote to change its regular meeting time after pushback from community members on Monday. 

The council was set to decide whether to move its 2023 meetings from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. – an idea that was roundly criticized by the Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Winston-Salem. Member Eunice Campbell told the council the time change would result in reduced citizen participation. 

“People can't do it, just can't do it, there has to be some other type of way of addressing it," said Campbell. "Using workforce retention and recruitment as an excuse for changing these times is not acceptable.”

The council decided to delay the decision, and instead will discuss the measure at a committee meeting on December 13.

Members of the same advocacy group also criticized the city’s handling of the police chief hiring process at Monday’s meeting. Carolyn Highsmith asked council to hold public forums with finalists before making a selection. 

“It is critical that there is community engagement in the new police chief selection process so that a variety of citizens can ask questions from the semi-finalists candidates and even provide feedback to the city," she said.

Councilmembers didn’t respond directly to that request. Current police chief Catrina Thompson is set to retire this month.