The Greensboro City Council is once again attempting to bring more order and decorum to its monthly public forum, also called “speakers from the floor on non-agenda items.”
Since 2018, the City Council has devoted its first meeting of the month, usually held on the first Tuesday of the month, to holding a public forum. Prior to 2018, the City Council allowed speakers from the floor on non-agenda items at every regular meeting.
As is often the case, the City Council went about establishing the new rules in an unorthadox fashion. The new rule will ban people who have been removed from a meeting by security for misbehavior from City Council meetings for three months.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan read the new rule along with all the other rules for the meeting and then asked for the City Council to vote on the rule she just read.
Vaughan said, “Starting today, members of the audience or speakers from the podium who intentionally disrupt the meeting or ridicule other speakers will be given a warning and, if unheeded, they will be removed from the meeting. That person will be suspended from in-person participation for three months. In order to preserve their right to free speech, they can attend virtually by Zoom, by phone or by email. It is the goal of the City Council that this chamber is a welcoming space and that our residents feel empowered to bring issues of concern before their elected officials.”
Vaughan then paused in reading the procedures for the meeting and said, “I would like to ask City Council for a vote in support of this new procedure.”
The motion to approve the new procedure was then made, seconded, and a voice vote was held passing the motion by a 7-1 vote, with Councilmember Sharon Hightower voting no. Councilmember Zack Matheny was absent.
After the vote was taken, the City Council then discussed the motion it had just passed.
Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter said, “I support you 100 percent on this. I’ve heard from many people in the community and they are hesitant to come down to City Council because of the disruptions, and I think this is a really good move.”
Councilmember Sharon Hightower explained her no vote. She said, “I voted no because I don’t want to limit free speech. While I understand that disruption has to be controlled, I think we have to be careful how we show our actions toward the public. This is the people’s house. It’s not our house.”
This is far from the first time the City Council under Vaughan has taken action to try and control the public forums. In 2019, Vaughan instituted a rule that didn’t allow the public to speak about a particular city employee in a manner that Vaughan deemed an “attack,” and the public was also forbidden to speak about matters that were in litigation.
Those changes to restrict free speech didn’t last long.
From April through September of 2020, when the City Council met virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, public comment periods were allegedly held, but there was no information on the agenda about how someone could go about speaking at the meetings and no one signed up to speak.
Another joke by a pitiful bunch that are supposed to represent you….you voted them in….enjoy the usual circus. They only serve themselves and their pet projects, not you city voters. Order and decorum…thanks for the chuckle!
For once I agree with Hightower. These people work for us and should not be afraid to hear from the people who pay their salaries and demand action to the problems they have created.
Leave it to Hightower to go against common sense.
What a joke!!! If you can’t take the heat of the public then resign, period. You vote on things most people don’t want anyway. Progressive agenda all the way is what we hear and see from this council.
Thank you, John Hammer, for bringing this important topic before local citizens. It affects many more councils than just this one, as others might follow suit. Thank you again for your impact on our community.
Disruptive speakers come from both sides of the isle. Generally, folks are fed up with their govt, no matter who is running it.
People should hear other’s opinions, they may be right.
Thank you Mayor! It’s about time. People are scared to go and speak to you. I have gone and spoken only to be raided by the bystanders just outside of Council Chambers. They have gathered around me and followed me to my car. I haven’t been back in a while.
Mayor Vaughan,
Perhaps if our City Leaders would show some respect for their citizens by being professional and effective, they wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of respect shown by citizens towards our Mayor, our City Manager, and our City Council? My suggestion is why don’t you first be effective in the control of crime, traffic law, drug use, illegal gun possession, city ordinances, and city building codes! Once you accomplish any credibility you might earn some respect in the City Council Chambers from your citizens? Right now, you deserve no respect, you have no credibility as you and your leaders are doing a miserable job keeping this city together! It’s very sad you have to dictate freedom of speech to maintain order in City Hall. If you want to see real disorder visit the streets and the neighborhoods of your city!
Jim Donaldson
Too bad we can not ban a disruptive Socialist City Council!
I’m SHOCKED that I actually agree with Sharon Hightower on something. Am I okay? I may need to see a doctor . . .
Our Tyrant leader shows her disdain for freedom. Mandate Mayor now requires high speed internet if she doesn’t like how you speak in front of her. RECALL TIME. The garbage about in order to preserve their RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH they must not be in her presence and only allowed their RIGHT via the internet. Reprehensible enemy to all people and servant to her cabal , when does the recall start? I have some time to donate to this effort. Her repeated actions to deny RIGHTS is well documented and her failures monumental. Our public safety is erroding daily and her cabal continue lining their coffers with taxes and fees.
If you want a different outcome from your council, elect qualified candidates, starting with the mayor. As stated before, a tiny portion of Greensboro’s residents vote. Of that tiny percent of voters, there are but few who know and understand the issues. The voters in Greensboro are ignorant of issues, and that is just the way Vaughn and Skippy like it. Ignorant voters will vote as they are expected to vote, including the college students who should not be voting in a Greensboro election unless 1) are not registered to vote anywhere else and 2) Greensboro is their permanent address. Occupying a dorm room or student housing does not qualify unless you have changed your address and have a NC driver’s license. Allowing temporary residents to vote on tax and bond issues should not be allowed. Skippy has perfected the student voting machine.
Get out of the city. There’s literally no plus side to planting roots in that blue crap hole. Now they are once again trying to ban speech they don’t feel like hearing. It would be worth sueing them, but they’ll use your tax money to fight you. Just leave. Let them turn into San Francisco.
Why is anyone surprised , wannabe queen nancy supported naming the 79
nazi-clan, cwp shootout a massacre (she should read the definition of what a massacre is ) She supports racist nelson johnson on everything he says. She supports skip and his wannabe money pit museum. She’s supported michelle kennedy and all th crap she’s pulled off. nancy is a true menace to Greensboro. She’s a communist loving socialist, liberal democrat.
What a farce! I agree with the prior poster who said if they can’t take criticism from their constituents they need to step down. We are supposed to be a democracy, not a monarchy! In addition, with the very high increase in crime, why has our lovely mayor not reinstated the Gang Taskforce? She also refuses to address that question in public forum. I believe she knows she made a huge mistake in disbanding the task force in the first place. Any input?
I think we should vote every one of them out of office. The only way to clean up this mess is to get rid of every one of them and start over because it cannot be any worse than what we have now.