Solicitor Focuses on Public Comments

CAPE MAY – At Aug. 7 meeting of the Cape May City Council, Mayor Clarence Lear asked City Solicitor Frank Corrado to make remarks concerning the use of the public comment period at council meetings.
The solicitor’s comments on the comment period were made to a smaller-than-usual attendance at a meeting that had been moved from its usual 6 p.m. start to 2 p.m.
Why the mayor chose the solicitor to make the remarks on behalf of the council was unclear. Why the remarks were solicited at a meeting with lower than usual attendance was also unclear.
The remarks came just before a town hall meeting on redevelopment. The last round of redevelopment discussions touched off significant public comment at council meetings, comment that was often passionate.
A new round of redevelopment discussions at council meetings is likely to follow the town hall presentation.
Corrado began by assuring the public “This council wants public comment.”  He noted that a public comment period at meetings was part of state law. It is a “good thing,” he said, “something important for our democracy.”  
The praise of the public comment period was followed by a set of “guidelines” which Corrado said, “The public should attend to.”
Corrado noted that other municipalities had imposed “strict limits and rules” on comment at meetings, something he assured listeners this council has not done and has little appetite to do.
Corrado asked that members of the public be respectful during comments. He cautioned that speakers need to stay on topic and bring to the podium only issues that deal directly with city government.
The solicitor added that topics for discussion should be based on “matters of fact” and not on rumors. The claim that comments were based on rumors was one frequently heard during the debate on redevelopment; although the definition of a rumor verses a matter of fact at the time was itself controversial.
Pointing out that the council has not formally imposed time limits on public comment; Corrado asked that remarks be confined to five minutes as much as possible.
Corrado said that the public comment period is for comment and is not intended to be used to question council members.
Here Corrado reacted to members of the public who have, at times, used the podium as a platform to poll individual members of council on their stance on specific issues.
Corrado noted that some municipalities require signup sheets for comment at meetings. While he did not favor formal rules governing public comment, he suggested that signup sheets might be used “at the discretion of the presiding officer” when council anticipates an issue will “occupy a large part of time.”
No council member made any remarks regarding Corrado’s guidelines.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.