In response to the March 9 editorial "Let's keep public comment at meetings public," I appreciate your call for civility.
What The Wilson Times has repeatedly failed to report is that the council's frustration is not with the general public who come from time to time to express their concerns. Our problem is that we have a few individuals who are using the call on the audience for their own personal agendas. Many of our frequent "angry" speakers are in fact candidates for office; others are tied to certain political agendas or are seeking exposure for themselves.
The public comment time is not a true reflection of our community as a whole. What was once a civil environment has become a podium for grandstanding and campaigning. Like it or not, the TV is the draw. When we experimented with taking the public comments off the air, the every-month regulars faded and we actually heard from average citizens.
But now, the negative environment brought by a few actually keeps many citizens away. I have had many fine people tell me that they will no longer attend a council meeting because of this.
No question that the current issue of high electric bills during this winter has drawn more folks to the meetings, and rightfully so. I completely understand that and people have a right to be heard. But the broader issue has been going on since the 2007 campaigns for City Council.
Your articles and editorials on this topic over the last couple of years imply that council does not want citizen input. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We are simply looking for the right balance between welcoming our citizens with legitimate concerns and limiting the stage for the political grandstanding. Most people know the difference and I suspect The Wilson Times does as well. So when you cover this subject in the future or when your paper decides to glorify political candidates for their speeches, please, for transparency's sake, identify them as such.
Source: WilsonTimes Columns Section
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