City Council public comment period discussion
February 16 ,2009
Getting to the point in 3 minutes or less
By Chad Cain, Daily Hampshire Gazette
By Chad Cain, Daily Hampshire Gazette
NORTHAMPTON - It took President Abraham Lincoln
about two minutes to deliver his 246-word
Gettysburg Address, yet nearly every time the City
Council gathers for a meeting someone from the
public grumbles that the three minutes they are
given to share their thoughts is too short.
And they blame Mayor Clare Higgins for enforcing a time limit that's been handed down from council to council for years. But at least one city councilor believes that complaints like that belong in the lap of the council itself, which makes the rules that the mayor must follow when she chairs the meetings.
Ward 4 Councilor David J. Narkewicz requested that the council suspend its own rules at its Jan. 15 and Feb. 5 meetings and voted to let people speak to the council for up to five minutes if they wanted to - but the move was largely to make a point.
He believes three minutes is plenty long enough for anyone to make a political point, particularly given how accessible councilors are to constituents by phone, email, and in person outside of meetings.
He noted that members of the U.S. House of Representatives are allotted a one-minute comment period at the beginning of each day's session, and between 30 seconds and one minute during floor debates to speak in favor or opposition to legislation.
As for Lincoln, here's what Narkewicz had to say: "President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - one of the most famous and powerful speeches ever delivered - came in just over two minutes."
Narkewicz said his objective in setting the temporary five-minute time limit "was to demonstrate that contrary to urban myth the City Council - not the mayor - controls the format and conduct of its meetings, including the time allotted for public comment."
Narkewicz believes the authority wielded by Higgins at City Council meetings is misunderstood and sometimes overstated. Mayors do not have a vote, they must run the meetings in accordance with rules created by the council, and their parliamentary rulings can be overridden by the council.
"I think the City Council must address those misperceptions and take greater responsibility for its role in the process," Narkewicz said in the email.
City rules don't specifically spell out how long people can talk during the public comment period. They leave that chore to the mayor. Higgins and previous mayors have followed a three-minute tradition.
The council has had brief discussions recently about its rules on public comment, but has made no changes. Narkewicz suspects that the issue will likely be discussed when the council begins to review the recommendations of its "best practices" committee. One of those recommendations calls for the council to review all of its rules and procedures.
Higgins said she will follow whatever rules the council tells her to.
"This is the council's prerogative and the council's rule; it's not my prerogative," she said. "I don't have a right to change the rules."
And they blame Mayor Clare Higgins for enforcing a time limit that's been handed down from council to council for years. But at least one city councilor believes that complaints like that belong in the lap of the council itself, which makes the rules that the mayor must follow when she chairs the meetings.
Ward 4 Councilor David J. Narkewicz requested that the council suspend its own rules at its Jan. 15 and Feb. 5 meetings and voted to let people speak to the council for up to five minutes if they wanted to - but the move was largely to make a point.
He believes three minutes is plenty long enough for anyone to make a political point, particularly given how accessible councilors are to constituents by phone, email, and in person outside of meetings.
He noted that members of the U.S. House of Representatives are allotted a one-minute comment period at the beginning of each day's session, and between 30 seconds and one minute during floor debates to speak in favor or opposition to legislation.
As for Lincoln, here's what Narkewicz had to say: "President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - one of the most famous and powerful speeches ever delivered - came in just over two minutes."
Narkewicz said his objective in setting the temporary five-minute time limit "was to demonstrate that contrary to urban myth the City Council - not the mayor - controls the format and conduct of its meetings, including the time allotted for public comment."
Narkewicz believes the authority wielded by Higgins at City Council meetings is misunderstood and sometimes overstated. Mayors do not have a vote, they must run the meetings in accordance with rules created by the council, and their parliamentary rulings can be overridden by the council.
"I think the City Council must address those misperceptions and take greater responsibility for its role in the process," Narkewicz said in the email.
City rules don't specifically spell out how long people can talk during the public comment period. They leave that chore to the mayor. Higgins and previous mayors have followed a three-minute tradition.
The council has had brief discussions recently about its rules on public comment, but has made no changes. Narkewicz suspects that the issue will likely be discussed when the council begins to review the recommendations of its "best practices" committee. One of those recommendations calls for the council to review all of its rules and procedures.
Higgins said she will follow whatever rules the council tells her to.
"This is the council's prerogative and the council's rule; it's not my prerogative," she said. "I don't have a right to change the rules."