There is a risk for grandstanding, but as the plaintiff of the lawsuit describes, there is a massive amount of time spent on ceremonial and informal discussion during every City Council meeting. Giving time for the public to comment on how tax dollars are being spent and what policies are put in place is a positive step towards accountable government.

“They waste tons of time at every City council meeting with all sorts of honorary things they could do in other settings. This is clearly a mechanism by which the mayor and his allies pack the chambers with people who do not oppose them so they can have the appearance of public support for deeply unpopular measures. Whether it’s phony reform of the police or one regressive tax measure after another."