Letters: Surprise mayor’s overreaction violated resident’s right to speak
Posted
By Wayne Edsall
Do council members think they are a ‘protected species’ safe from public criticism? That they only allow speakers to praise them not criticise or bring other concerns to light?
The recent overreaction by the mayor, ejecting a resident for voicing her opinion regarding a city issue just because it included negative overtones is a gross violation of her First Amendment rights. It’s true that a certain decorum be maintained in council chambers, but that falls far short from arresting a person addressing the council.
The right to speak in public forum dates back to Aristotle and ancient Greece.
To have a resolution on the books denying and directing a negative opinion only to the city manager is no more than a cowardly ploy to protect a public servant’s responsibility to his or her constituents. Their comments will only be buried on the manager’s desk, who by the way is hired by the council.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
