Speech carries price tag
Folks in these parts gripe when a government body asks them to call ahead of time to be included on the agenda if they wish to speak at a public meeting. And they fuss when county commissioners, school boards, councils and supervisors limit the amount of time they can speak. As faulty as we often find Pennsylvania’s laws on open meetings and open records, at least this isn’t Virgin, Utah, and free speech is still that – free.
The Associated Press reported that Mayor Jay Lee wants to keep Town Council meetings short and civil, so he charges residents $25 every time they speak up. And when the agenda is loaded, the mayor cancels public comment sessions altogether. Sooner or later some Utah court will step in and tell the mayor he can’t do this.
It won’t be the first time. Virgin gained notoriety a couple years ago when it passed an ordinance requiring every home to have a gun for self-defense. That law was stricken.
Sort of makes one feel warm and fuzzy about our own local government meetings.