Excellent, folks in other areas need a role model.
The Town of Yarmouth where I live has been the opposite, exercising a lack of transparency, accountability, with little communication. People are increasingly calling for them to respect their citizens and respond. It’s been years of folks assuming they were working on behalf of the public good, until they became complacent and the board took them for granted.
May have mentioned Nantucket before, where they have acquiesced their interest to the local board who’ve bowed to more wealthy concerns. Resulting in the worst suggestion which is to do away with town meeting to make governance “more efficient”. Yikes!
Right ON John Wolf! A very small group has done real damage to the good will, volunteerism, good works and altruism those of us who VOLUNTEER countless hours to bettering our town and community put forth.... I stand with John. Thank you Seth for printing..
Horrifying but all too familiar. Seth, could you clarify how the First Amendment is involved here? It begins with "Congress shall make no law . . ." but Congress doesn't seem to be involved here. Last I looked, the First Amendment didn't give individuals license to endlessly harass government officials, or anyone else for that matter. Are there legal options, e.g., a restraining order if physical harassment is involved? (A few years ago, an individual issued a restraining order against me to prevent me from doing something I wasn't doing anyway, so I wonder.) Are this individual's actions getting local coverage, either in news media or on social media? Could the state AG have any say in the matter?
Hi Susanna, great as always to muse on your comments. First Amendment involvement is that free speech is protected (Congress doesn't need to be involved), even if seen as disgusting or abhorrent -- ACLU representing Nazis wanting to march in Skokie Illinois is a classic example of the strange bedfellows the FA creates. But there are lines to be drawn, again as in classic case language: you can't yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater and be protected by free speech rights, or as they say in terms of expression, "your right to swing your fist stops where my nose begins." So public invective, attack, criticism cannot/should not be quashed, but there are limits and structures that can be invoked to protect the rights and safety of others as well. Re the AG, you might note that Wellfleet Chair Wolf encouraged anyone to go to the AG and complain if they feel the steps the town is taking are beyond the appropriate scope. My layman's sense is that the town is well within its bounds, but that's just me. Thanks again, Seth
Thank you Seth We have a similar situation in Chatham. Officials have been repeatedly called out and harassed by an individual here in town. When she addresses the Select board with endless harangues, members let her have her say and then quietly move on to the next topic on the agenda. Personally, I keep a Nerf gun next to me.....
Another authoritarian tactic - to create chaos and distrust of government. So happy to see someone in a position of local power standing up to this nonsense.
Excellent, folks in other areas need a role model.
The Town of Yarmouth where I live has been the opposite, exercising a lack of transparency, accountability, with little communication. People are increasingly calling for them to respect their citizens and respond. It’s been years of folks assuming they were working on behalf of the public good, until they became complacent and the board took them for granted.
May have mentioned Nantucket before, where they have acquiesced their interest to the local board who’ve bowed to more wealthy concerns. Resulting in the worst suggestion which is to do away with town meeting to make governance “more efficient”. Yikes!
Right ON John Wolf! A very small group has done real damage to the good will, volunteerism, good works and altruism those of us who VOLUNTEER countless hours to bettering our town and community put forth.... I stand with John. Thank you Seth for printing..
Horrifying but all too familiar. Seth, could you clarify how the First Amendment is involved here? It begins with "Congress shall make no law . . ." but Congress doesn't seem to be involved here. Last I looked, the First Amendment didn't give individuals license to endlessly harass government officials, or anyone else for that matter. Are there legal options, e.g., a restraining order if physical harassment is involved? (A few years ago, an individual issued a restraining order against me to prevent me from doing something I wasn't doing anyway, so I wonder.) Are this individual's actions getting local coverage, either in news media or on social media? Could the state AG have any say in the matter?
Hi Susanna, great as always to muse on your comments. First Amendment involvement is that free speech is protected (Congress doesn't need to be involved), even if seen as disgusting or abhorrent -- ACLU representing Nazis wanting to march in Skokie Illinois is a classic example of the strange bedfellows the FA creates. But there are lines to be drawn, again as in classic case language: you can't yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater and be protected by free speech rights, or as they say in terms of expression, "your right to swing your fist stops where my nose begins." So public invective, attack, criticism cannot/should not be quashed, but there are limits and structures that can be invoked to protect the rights and safety of others as well. Re the AG, you might note that Wellfleet Chair Wolf encouraged anyone to go to the AG and complain if they feel the steps the town is taking are beyond the appropriate scope. My layman's sense is that the town is well within its bounds, but that's just me. Thanks again, Seth
Thank you Seth We have a similar situation in Chatham. Officials have been repeatedly called out and harassed by an individual here in town. When she addresses the Select board with endless harangues, members let her have her say and then quietly move on to the next topic on the agenda. Personally, I keep a Nerf gun next to me.....
Another authoritarian tactic - to create chaos and distrust of government. So happy to see someone in a position of local power standing up to this nonsense.