By Kevin Brown
EAGLE TIMES GENERAL MANAGER
NEWPORT May 4, 2023—At its meeting on May 1, members of the Newport Board of Selectmen floated a proposal to change the rules regarding Open Forum discussions. Board Chair Jeff Kessler said some recent meetings had become “rambunctious” and suggested adopting rules similar to those used by the Newport School Board. Those rules (see sidebar) set time limits on Open Forum speakers and set a framework for addressing the board.
“In the past few meetings, they have become quite rambunctious,” Kessler said. “I think that decorum and etiquette have gone out the window. I’ve had a lot of people express their concerns about the way things have gone on with the Open Forum and during agenda items. I believe we need to make some changes to get a little more civility back into our meetings. I want to try adopting what the school board adopted.”
Kessler said the school board had similar issues and “managed to address it by setting time limits for public comment and addressing when and how people can speak.”
One proposed change would establish a five-minute time limit per person with a one-minute rebuttal period. Other changes could include speaking in order from a signup form and encouraging both board members and the public to address each other with civility and respect.
Some board members agreed a policy change would be a good idea.
“The time has come to rein in the things that have gone on here,” Vice Chairman Barry Connell said. “We’ve lost civility and decorum.”
Selectman Keith Sayer said the board did need more control over the whole meeting, noting that there should be “a code of conduct we have to abide by as human beings.”
Selectman James Burroughs was more skeptical of the proposed changes. “I like the fact that we’ve had an Open Forum for the public to come in and speak on whatever they may have to speak on. To limit their terms to once or one follow-up, I don’t think is an open dialogue – a dialogue that is sustainable for how we operate our board. I like the decorum aspect of it. The fact we moved it to the end of the meeting so we could get through our business is important, so I like that change. The school’s policy – I can’t say I am a fan.”
Selectman Herb Tellor, Jr. agreed with Burroughs. “I echo Jim’s comments. I understand the sentiments of trying to clean up the public forum. I don’t agree with limiting people’s time to speak. I think I spent the better part of the last two or three years being very critical of the school’s policy and it would be hyper-critical of me to adopt their policy here. I don’t think I can go along with that. I think there are intermediate measures we can try before we take that step.”
Kessler stressed that he presented the school policy as a possible model for the board to begin discussing such a policy.
Resident and selectman candidate Bert Spaulding, Sr. questioned the need for the policy change. Spaulding, who has significantly lengthened and coarsened meetings by using the Open Forum to grandstand and personally attack board members and town employees, frequently using curse words, including the “F-Bomb,” said he believed the board’s move would be a violation of the First Amendment. “I sat in this room with Matt Bonaccorsi and I said the word ‘damn.’ He said ‘Mr. Spaulding, we don’t use language like that in this room.’ Two weeks later, I came back. I gave them the First Amendment as the Constitution puts it on, by case law, and since then, the door has been wide open – and I mean wide open.
Spaulding, who currently sits on the Newport School Board which, as noted, operates under the policy proposed by Kessler, continued, “I will be dead by the time you get it because it won’t. What you are thinking of doing is a Constitutional trespass. You will not limit the language that I can use. Because you don’t like what I’m f…ing saying. You have no right to regulate it and I put that in there intentionally to show you where it is.” (F-Bomb used but edited.)
The board agreed to postpone the discussion until after this Tuesday’s election.
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