Ogre council 'lunch scandal' continues as councillors speak out on meal breaks
Councillors in Ogre municipality are publicly commenting on the problem of long council sessions leaving no time for proper meals, with some eating during meetings. The situation has sparked wide reaction on social media.
Council sessions in Ogre municipality, which sometimes run from early morning until late evening, have become a topic of debate not only within the council chamber but also among the wider public. Following an earlier report on the issue, several councillors have shared their views on why the meeting schedule leaves no room for a normal meal during working hours.
A nine-and-a-half-hour session
On 27 August, a council session lasted almost nine and a half hours. During the meeting, councillor Dace Kļaviņa of the "New Unity" party was observed eating pizza in front of colleagues in the meeting hall while important municipal decisions were being made. The scene drew comparisons to a fast-food venue rather than a serious decision-making body, especially notable given Ogre is Latvia's largest municipality by territory.
Wide public response
The earlier report on the topic triggered a large wave of comments on social media. Former Ogre mayor Egils Helmanis also publicly pointed to an instance of opposition representatives eating during a council session.
Following the initial report, several other Ogre municipal councillors reached out to journalists to share their perspective on the long-standing problem. This time, councillors representing the ruling coalition were more vocal, offering their views on how sessions are organized and whether councillors can be given a proper lunch break during lengthy meetings.
