A.G. Gancarski
Michel Foucault, in a long essay in Discipline and Punish about the “panopticon” concept first outlined by 18th century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, noted that one of the benefits of the panopticon are that “there are no disorders, no theft, no coalitions, none of those distractions that slow down the rate of work, make it less perfect or cause accidents.”
The avoidance of such “disorders” and “coalitions”, perhaps, undergirds the planned meeting between Jacksonville Council President Greg Anderson and VP Lori Boyer regarding “communications tracking software” on Wednesday.
Jax Council President Anderson will be meeting with VP Boyer at 2 PM Wednesday to discuss the types of software available for tracking communications on electronic devices.
Council, since September, has been dealing with the fallout from a decision made in September to move money from the stormwater budget to fund the salaries and positions of Safety Officers in the Fire and Rescue department. That decision was made during a second vote, toward the end of the budget debate, with results that included some Council members changing their votes in response to what seemed to be lobbying from the head of the fire union.
This fallout included a lawsuit from the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County. Some Council members chose to settle; others did not.
Communications tracking software, in theory, would allow for the monitoring of messages to and from Council members and lobbyists. Unless they were to get burner phones, in which case all bets are off.
