'New day of decorum' ends in sudden adjournment after speakers harangue city commissioners

Calling for a "new day of decorum" Wednesday, Mayor John Dailey proposed plans to rein in raucous city commission meetings that have become increasingly tense amid internal squabbling and a parade of unagendaed speakers haranguing commissioners.

"It's gotten out of hand. I walked away from the last meeting quite disturbed," he said, pointing to "personal threats" and "attacks on families."

"I am going to tighten up the ship as the mayor chairing this meeting," he said.

Bernard Stevens, a regular speaker who is running for City Commission against Curtis Richardson, shouted criticism at commissioners during the last meeting on Nov. 8. That prompted Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox to register for the record that she felt "threatened," adding it's getting "more and more aggressive."

Then a parade of protesters of Israel's bombing campaign on Gaza lined up to condemn commissioners. Delilah Pierre, president of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, shouted at commissioners: "You god d----- Pharisees."

Dailey asked her to watch her language before gaveling for a two minute recess "to calm everything down." When they returned, Pierre insisted on reclaiming her three minutes. At one point, she said, "I hope your child dies because they don't have access...," then stopped and apologized as commissioners objected from the dais.

As the tongue-lashing continued for more than an hour, Dailey ended the meeting, cutting short the traditional sharing of ideas that ends each commission meeting.

'We're probably as generous as any' with public comment

On Wednesday, Dailey had sought a different outcome. He turned to his colleagues at the beginning of the meeting and asked them to help develop a solution that would foster a less hostile environment at city commission meetings.

Everyone is allowed to come and speak, Dailey said, but he expects the public to show "decorum and respect" if they do.

"But there is no room for what has happened in the past," he said.

Dailey asked Treasurer-Clerk Jim Cooke how Tallahassee compared with other commissions around the state on speaker protocol. He responded that Tallahassee has led the way on providing wide latitude for speakers.

"We probably are as generous as any," he said.

The solution on the table suggested limiting unagendaed speakers to only 30 minutes of the meeting, but City Commissioners Jack Porter, Jeremy Matlow and Curtis Richardson feared a time limit ― at least a limit that short ― would block residents who come to speak about important issues.

"I think this is symptomatic of a deeper problem where these meetings are not the best way to have some of the conversations that we try to have," Porter said. She added that more individual meetings and workshops could make meetings smoother and lead to more open communication between leaders and constituents.

"No one's coming here for the fun of it," she said. "They're coming here because they feel really strongly about an issue and they want to weigh in and want to be heard with dignity."

Matlow said he agrees that it becomes difficult to sit and listen to "elevated tones" directed at the commission for hours, but in his years as an elected official, he said he doesn't think it happens enough to take "drastic action."

Richardson also agreed that outbursts from the public don't warrant a hard time limit of 30 minutes.

"As our fearless leader, I'm going to follow you, whatever you say," Williams-Cox said to Dailey.

Ultimately, Dailey announced he'd allow unagendaed speakers to claim their time during the last meeting of the year, but emphasized again that speakers should be respectful.

But 'new decorum' calls go unheeded

Some speakers at Wednesday's meeting saw the call for "new decorum" as a way to stifle debate and public discussion. And they loudly told them so.

Bernard Stevens, who frequently clashes with the commissioners at meetings, pressed Dailey for attempting to "restrict his speech." As he grew increasingly angry, Dailey pounded his gavel and called for a recess in an attempt to restore order in the commission chambers.

Dailey repeatedly reminded speakers and members of the audience to work with him and try to keep things civil inside the city commission chambers as people periodically booed and clapped over the commissioners as they spoke.

More than 30 unagendaed speakers signed up to take the floor at the end of the meeting. It began with firefighters from the Tallahassee Fire Department's labor union pleading for better salaries and moved on to protesters condemning commissioners for not standing with Palestinians.

"If it was your children buried under rubble," one speaker started.

Immediately, Curtis Richardson interrupted and said, "Sir, do not refer to my children."

"But it's OK when it's Palestinian children, but not your children," the speaker fired back.

Dailey interjected that "last week we had comments about our children and we're not gonna put up with that."

The speaker continued to argue with the mayor and Williams-Cox made a motion to adjourn. Dailey smacked the gavel and said "we're adjourned" and the room erupted in yelling.

The protesters, meanwhile, reject that they are to blame for a lack of decorum and argue that "people are angry because they feel unheard."

"Respect goes both ways. City Manager Reese Goad and Mayor John Dailey have created a hostile environment for the public," Pierre tweeted after the meeting. "The culture they’ve created is the real reason we’re seeing so many upset community members during public comment. How are we supposed to have civil discussion when we know a majority of our City Leadership does not respect us?"

Was City Commissioner Jack Porter snubbed from mayor pro tem title?

Sparks also flew earlier in the meeting between the already bitterly divided voting blocs during a vote for the city commission's new mayor pro tem.

In a 4-1 vote, with Matlow in opposition, Richardson was elected as the new mayor pro tem after current mayor pro tem Williams-Cox's nomination.

Porter, although she voted in favor of Richardson's appointment, highlighted how she has never been appointed for the title.

"I think it's strange that we've had a few people be mayor pro tem numerous times, some of us never," Porter said. "I don't think that's really in the spirit of cordiality, but go on."

Both Porter and Richardson are up for election in 2024 and have drawn challengers.

Richardson was voted by the commission as mayor pro tem in 2018, 2022 and now 2024. Williams-Cox was elected in 2020 and 2023, and Matlow was elected in 2021.

Matlow said denying Porter a chance to serve flew in the face of a long tradition of cycling the honorary title among members of the board.

"I see this as a blatant attack and disrespect on my colleague, Commissioner Porter," Matlow said. "I recognize she's being cordial and polite, but I'm going to speak on her behalf. This is wrong."

Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: City Hall environment tests Mayor John Dailey's call for 'new decorum'