Ironic Double Standards

Earlier this week I went to the court hearing in the Banick lawsuit against the city. You've probably read the report at Maplewood Voices already, and I wrote up some serious thoughts at my campaign blog (and I am working on another entry there), but there's a side observation that seems to belong here on WLOM: The same city that argues in the CoPar case that it should not be held against them that they didn't give CoPar the formal notice in writing that seems mandated by statute, in this case was making a big whiny to-do about how the Police Civil Service Commission didn't properly give them a copy of its order in writing.

Consider the parallels: in the CoPar case, the city argues that the meeting was televised and recorded and a copy was given to the CoPar reps, who were also present at the meeting, plus the minutes were posted to the city website, so obviously CoPar knew the city's decision.

In the PCSC's case, the meeting was televised (for the first time), recorded (the original recordings I presume are in the city's possession), two city attorneys (Kantrud and Bethel) were present when the discussion took place and motion to issue the order was unanimously approved, and the staff liason was there as well taking the minutes. I attended the meeting, and personally saw the commissioners signing their order to give it to city staff. I'm not sure what more they could have been expected to do, unless to go and mail it to Copeland or the Mayor, registered mail with return receipt requested.

In any case, it's funny. In two similar circumstances, the city is asking the courts to reach two completely opposite conclusions, in order to give the city what it wants in both cases.