READING, Pa. – Reading City Council debated Monday night on whether councilmembers should have access to the council office after hours.

Historically, all councilmembers had their own keys to the office, but in recent years, only the council president had access to the office by having a personal key.

When the issue was brought up a few weeks ago, council President Donna Reed said she voluntarily surrendered her key in the absence of a council policy on the matter.

Last week, Councilmember Jaime Baez Jr. demanded the issue be addressed by council with very strong feelings that every councilmember should have their own key.

Council solicitor Michael Gombar said it was not a legal issue for him to get involved, but recommended the body agree to a policy which can then be placed in the council’s handbook.

Baez contends that he wants to have access so that he can use office space to meet with constituents in the evening hours.

Councilmember Rafael Nunez called the matter a very sensitive topic but said councilmembers should have no reason to have their own keys.

However, he added that there should be an exception to give the council president a key so that access can be delegated.

Reed said there are very few reasons why she ever had to use the key when she had one.

“You know, we all had keys back in the day when everything was paper and our file cabinets were filled with paper items,” Reed said. “Now, everyone maybe gets a letter now and then, but the need to access the office has sort of really declined with our ability to reach out to each other, through email and not really have to rely on anything paper.”

Baez said he believes there were private conversations about the matter after he requested having his own key.

“I would just hope for future reference, that out of respect for another elected official, if an elected official is inquiring into something and then there are going to be secretive conversations that are happening back doors, that the individual who made the request be included in those conversations,” Baez said. 

Councilmember Raymond Baker called the statement from Baez baseless accusations and said he didn’t understand why council had to spend so much time with the conversation.

Baker recommended a single key be left with at the sergeant’s desk in city hall so that if anyone should need access, there will be a key available.

Baez said it is a good suggestion and would benefit all councilmembers equally.

But he added that Baker saying his accusations are baseless was incorrect.

“I have verifiable information to back up my statement,” Baez said. “I have supporting evidence via email that I think will prove the contrary; that there are conversations that were being held without my knowledge on a topic that was requested by myself.”

With most of council in agreement, Gombar said he will draft a policy on Baker’s suggestion so that council can vote on it next week at the regular council meeting.

Reading Redevelopment Authority

Also, at the Committee of the Whole meeting, council learned that Councilmember Vanessa Campos plans to resign from the five-member Reading Redevelopment Authority.

Gombar said the resignation will require council to decide if, going forward, it wants a member of council to serve as one of the members.

Some councilmembers said they would like to see a councilmember continue to serve on the authority, and Nunez recommended that Baker fill the position.

Gombar said that at next Monday’s meeting, there should be two resolutions: one to accept the resignation from Campos and another to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.

Reed said council will have additional time to discuss the matter at the Committee of the Whole meeting before the voting meeting next Monday.