The peril of public comment in Brunswick

Jim Bleikamp here.

As one who has covered the Brunswick Town Council for 12 years, I will say it again–the council, and in particular, Council Chair Abby King is still learning how to handle public comment.

And while I will be the first to say it isn’t always an easy thing, the chair was clearly out of line on Monday evening to call out a particular public speaker from expressing his frustration with what he and others feel to be the slow pace of response to difficult situations experienced by some–like himself–who depend on well water, which in the aftermath of the foam spill, is not safe to drink.

At one point in his remarks, Doug Self, a resident of Coombs Road, referred to remarks from Nick Nichols, the chair of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, who said he was “moving as fast as I can” in the aftermath of the spill.

Specifically, Self reported that he has spent about $400 buying bottled water, and then said, “you talked about going as fast as you can, Mr. Nichols. Well I am going as fast as I can to Hannaford to buy bottled water.”

For this innocent and I might also say, humorous expession of frustration, Mr. Self was met with this loud and inappropriate response from Abby King:

“Sir, no personal addresses or attacks.”

Really, Abby? This is not what is usually viewed as a personal attack, which is an ad hominem reference, such as calling someone an “idiot”–the kind of thing that SHOULD be banned in council public comment, just as it is banned on this page.

But not for the first time, it sure sounds like public officials are officially immune from criticism on the floor of the Brunswick Town Council–a very dangerous trend at a moment in time when democracy is already under attack on a worldwide basis.

Bottom line: Mr. Self’s remarks were all about policy–there was nothing personal and he was unfairly muzzled. He is owed an apology by Abby King.

This is just one more reason why Brunswick town councilors need to hold at least one workshop and maybe several to look at changes and improvements to its quite archaic public comment policy.

Thanks to WCME News, which was the only news source to cover this meeting, you can hear the exchange between Doug Self and Abby King just as it happened, right here. We are happy to have aired Mr. Self’s remarks this morning on the WCME Midcoast Morning Buzz.

And feel free to comment as you see fit.