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Public comment is the most important aspect of meetings of governing boards.  But, the policies the Board of Trustees has established concerning public comment limit concerned citizens’ ability to be heard.

This year, protests have occurred at most board meetings.  Some of these meetings have gone very wrong, although some did turn out successfully.

Board President Geoffrey Baum seems to think that going into recess is the right way to deal with an uproar from the audience that disrupts the meeting.  But at the Jan. 18 meeting, when Baum was absent, Board Vice President John Martin took control, and the meeting was conducted successfully with a room full of protesters.

What was done differently? The protesters were louder, and in greater numbers than at any other meeting this year, but somehow this meeting seemed to be the most productive. 

Martin was able to calm the crowd, restart the meeting, and go on with public comment and other business without offending most of protesters, cutting people off rudely, or threatening to adjourn to another room. There is no reason why the meetings of June 6 and June 20 could not have been handled in the same way.

Baum has more than once had the Board leave the room at the first sign of uproar or anything that may “disrupt” the meeting. Board meetings are times for the conduct of official business, but this should not be at the expense of the public voice. The Board needs to think seriously about the repercussions of constant threats to adjourn to a private room.

Relocating to a private room and allowing only a few members of the press in to document the proceedings is a manipulative way of doing things, and is one way to loose the confidence of the public.

The Board’s reaction to the protesters gives the public less of a voice.  Surrounding the audience with police, as happened on June 20, not allowing water into the meetings, and having the police chief hover around the podium during public comment are scare tactics to discourage people from expressing their views.

In fairness, the Board has to deal with some obnoxious and rude people in the audience.  Some who yell and scream at the Board reflect badly on the whole group.  They prevent those in the audience with real problems from being heard

 The way to allow citizens’ voices to be heard would be to allow public comment to simply run as long as necessary to accommodate all speakers. Or the Board should hold separate meetings strictly for public comment and board feedback.

The protesters may be rude and inappropriate at times, but the reactions of the Board have been equally inappropriate.

                

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