On Monday, the Selma City Council will meet for an orientation at the St. James Hotel. This meeting is open to the public. And many should attend.

The newly elected members of the city council have undergone an immersion in governance. Many attended a meeting in Montgomery the day before they were sworn into office to learn about the “dos and don’ts” of conducting public business.

Many have attended multiple seminars in Orlando, Fla. last week to meet other similarly elected officials from the nation at the National League of Cities conference.

Now, the council will come home to join together and talk about how best to conduct city business.

City Council President Geraldine Allen, who has not been publicly available because she was hospitalized, has called this meeting to bring council members together and give order to what has been — at least for several years — a fractured council.

We also have taken notice that the public is invited to observe this session. This is a good sign, meaning that at least the president of the city council is open to public scrutiny of the city’s business.

We also look forward to the first full meeting of the city council as the men and women elected to set policy for the city begin working with Mayor George Evans for a better Selma.