Residents press council on parks, elections and cyber-attack transparency during public comment

Multiple residents used the Sept. 2 public-comment period to press council on transparency, elections and cyber-security.

Charlie Alexander asked about the closed Don Juanella property and removed park signage, accused council of inconsistent enforcement and said officials were not being transparent about the site's status. "Would you like to tell us what's going on with the Don Juanella property and why the gates are closed and the park signage is down?" he asked.

Karis Coker raised concerns about the County Board of Elections, alleging that board members had authorized an agent to act outside public meetings and that the board had failed to meet publicly since a June certification; she referenced the Sunshine Act and urged council accountability. Kathy Buckley demanded full information about past and recent cyberattacks, including whether tax records, court cases or voting data were exposed and what insurance or remediation costs taxpayers had borne: "We still have no information, we have no idea what information was let go," she said, calling for release of records rather than legal ‘‘wall of lawyers.’"

Other callers asked about county spending, Home Rule and broader governance questions. Several speakers requested numeric transparency on county spending, impacts on seniors and property-tax relief. Council members acknowledged the comments and noted some items would be addressed through follow-up or referred to appropriate departments.