Well, just heard Council President Harris announced her intention at the last Council Meeting to bring back up Reinstating the Six-minute limit for individual public comments at the July 21, 2025 Meeting.
Good for her.
The sad part about reducing the speaking time to 4-minutes with no rebuttal was the reason given. The Council's position was the stricter time limit was intended to encourage decorum at the meetings, which were loud with disruptive behavior, that distracted Council Members from conducting township business,
Actually, as someone who lived through this - here's another view. It's was all about Free Speech and the disruptions that were caused were solely brought on and due to the disrespect & distain towards Edison Residents Council President Patel engaged in.
It all started with the way he treated Christo, which triggered off the Free Speech turnout by his supporters.
And it got worse from there, from banning the Flag to Kicking People out of Council Meetings just for daring to ask about Joshi's inept Stewardship and any Council or Public Scrutiny of his arguably miserable record - all of which made the town a National embarrassment.
Clearly, while he may be a perfect 'Tool' to do the Mayor's bidding, Patel was unqualified and unprepared to properly handle the meetings and his actions are the reason they cut down the time. Does anyone actually think that the 4-minute rule brought back decorum to Council Meetings?
Seriously, decorum was brought back because Patel was removed from the Council President position and replaced by someone who Respects Free Speech.
So, to Council Members Coyle, Poyner, Shmuel who went along with the outrageous conduct of Patel - reinstate the 6-minutes with rebuttal and Stop punishing the Residents from Speaking because it was Patel who caused the problem - Not the Residents.
As a Mayoral candidate dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of our citizens—a commitment forged over 28 years of service in the Air Force—I find the situation described deeply concerning. The right to free speech is fundamental to our democracy, and every citizen should have the opportunity to express their views without arbitrary restrictions.
ReplyDeleteReinstating the six-minute limit for public comments is a step towards ensuring that residents have adequate time to voice their concerns and engage in meaningful dialogue, thereby reinforcing the principles of transparency and accountability. It's imperative that we foster an environment where decorum and respect are maintained through leadership, rather than by limiting speech.
Council meetings should be platforms for open discussion where every voice is heard, and I'm committed to advocating for policies that uphold these ideals. It's vital to remember that the true strength of our community lies in our ability to listen, understand, and respond to the voices of all its members.