The Colorado Springs City Council, frequently criticized for meeting behind closed doors, will decide Thursday whether to go into executive session to interview candidates vying for a spot on a new commission that will look at selling Memorial Health System.

Two of the nine council members said Wednesday they will vote against conducting the interviews in secret.

“I told the mayor I don’t think it should even be an option,” said Councilman Sean Paige, who said in January that there’s a public perception that council members appoint what he called their “pet people” to boards and commissions to give them the recommendations they want.

“I’m going to vote to keep (the interviews) open,” he added. “I assume most on council will, and they’ll be open to the public, and that’s the way it should be.”

Councilman Tom Gallagher agreed.

“These guys are supposed to go into this with a clean slate, no agenda, so why murky the waters?” he said. “Why immediately start off with smoke-filled rooms? You can guarantee that I will not support going into executive session.”

The council has already picked three of 11 members of the new Citizens Commission on Ownership and Governance of Memorial Health System in private.

Officials are refusing to identify them until Thursday, saying they first want to notify the applicants who didn’t make it to the second round.

Mayor Lionel Rivera had asked council members to pick their top 10 choices. Three of the 60 applicants received five or more votes, making them automatic selections.

An additional 20 candidates received two to four votes, and the council has scheduled interviews with them from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. today and Friday.

Council members can conduct the interviews in closed session “because it’s considered a personnel item,” Rivera said.

“If they want to have it open, then that’s fine, too,” he said. “I’m OK either way. I’m offering the option.”
Rivera said the objective is to conduct “good interviews.”

“Frankly, I guess if you’re going to serve on a Memorial Hospital commission that looks at the governance and ownership of the hospital, you should be ready for public scrutiny, so maybe this would be a good opportunity for those who are applying for these positions to get used to the press,” he said. “Maybe it will be a good experience for them.”