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Rules for speakers require light touch

Largo commissioners have finalized new rules for public participation in City Commission meetings. Officials felt compelled to adopt such rules because some speakers behaved boorishly or tried to dominate the time allowed for speakers.

The question is, will speakers abide by the rules or try to test them? And will the mayor and commission be too heavy-handed in enforcing the rules against people exercising their right to free speech?

Pinellas County commissioners could tell Largo officials about how the solid ground they seem to be treading on can turn to quicksand in a hurry. In 2003 county commissioners adopted rules of decorum for speakers at commission meetings after suffering through months of abusive comments from the same small group of speakers. As soon as the rules were in place, one of the group deliberately exceeded them to create a scene on television and get himself arrested. County commissioners decided to rethink the rules. Under Largo's new rules, speakers may not "engage in loud and disruptive speech, use profanity or obscenity, use fighting words or speech that threatens harm, engage in commercial speech (advertising), engage in personal attacks."

In addition, anyone who wants to speak during the meeting's open forum must give the city clerk their name and topic, state their name and complete address aloud, and speak for no more than three minutes. If a speaker is representing a group, each member of the group can waive their right to speak and donate one minute of speaking time to their representative, up to a maximum of 10 minutes.

Former Largo Mayor Bob Jackson was not firm enough when it came to controlling meetings, so they were sometimes rambunctious affairs or dragged on interminably. The citizen comment portion of the meeting, at which people can talk about any item not on the meeting agenda, attracted those who used their minutes at the lectern to get attention or push a particular cause. One speaker routinely called the commissioners "stupid" and "morons" and seemed vaguely threatening. Others may not have called them names, but were consistent harsh critics who sometimes accused commissioners of illegal behavior. And there were other residents who were civil enough, but just returned to the lectern repeatedly to speak at length on any subject.

New Largo Mayor Pat Gerard wanted to establish a more decorous climate at commission meetings and started requiring speakers to state their address, limit their comments to three minutes and not engage in "personal attacks." The regulars at the lectern appeared to resent the new rules right away. They didn't want to give their address. One tried to get around the three-minute rule by saying he was speaking for a group, but none of his "group members" were there. One speaker who tried to engage in what Gerard considered a "personal attack" - on her - was removed from the room by police at her direction.

Whether the speakers like it or not, Gerard, as mayor, is in charge of commission meetings and has the power to gavel down a speaker or have him removed. She has a responsibility to control meetings, but also a duty to uphold the Constitution and its protection of free speech. There's the rub.

Some of the rules the City Commission approved, which will be included along with other information about the conduct of meetings in a Citizens Guide, are commonly adopted by other local governments. Cities in Pinellas usually have a time limit for speakers, whether they are speaking for themselves or a group, and require speakers to identify themselves by name and address.

It is those other rules Largo adopted - the ones banning "disruptive speech," "loud speech," "fighting words" and "personal attacks" - that are open to interpretation and abuse. Gerard would be wise to enforce those rules only in the most extreme circumstances, if at all. Americans have a precious right to criticize their government, even when officials don't want to hear the criticism.

[Last modified May 31, 2006, 02:29:21]