Residents lash out against North Canton Council rule change to limit public input

NORTH CANTON − At least four of council's seven members seemed to support a proposed rule that would limit public discussion to items on the agenda during the public speaking portion of City Council meetings unless it is a public safety issue.

Council President Matthew Stroia, At-Large, and council members Stephanie Werren, Ward 3; Daryl Revoldt, At-Large and Jamie McCleaster, Ward 1, appeared to back the rule change at council's Monday meeting.

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In a discussion that lasted about an hour, the four argued that the new rule is needed to try to deter citizens who regularly address council at public speaks whom they feel give misleading impressions about city employees and council members that borders on abusive, deter other residents from participating in council meetings and cast the city in a poor light.

Seven residents spoke against the proposal during public comment section of the meeting.

"Too many men and women have given the ultimate for free speech, and you want to take it away," said Larry Tripp, 82, who's regularly addressed council the past several years.

Resident Glenn Saylor said Stroia before he was on council once sought council's help improve traffic flow around his home, an item not on the agenda

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," said Saylor. "Instead of discouraging people from speaking at public speaks, this council should be encouraging it. Quite frankly, you're looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist."

Proposal to streamline comments at North Canton City Council meetings

"We're not taking away your free speech," Stroia said. We're offering other avenues to streamline what I believe has been a process that has been turned upside down. It is impossible, almost impossible, to get through a meeting without some sort of violation, some sort of distraction."

McCleaster said a large percentage of issues residents want to bring up in council meetings are related to public safety.

"I don't see us silencing people," he said. "I was initially not in favor of this at all, but I see this as enhancing being available to our constituents."

Werren said constituents have told her that due to the negative comments residents have made in public speaks they don't feel safe coming to meetings.

She said the council members' job "isn't to get into the weeds of people who don't like us or people who want to make fun of us or distract or ask if we have served in the military or have kids who served in the military."

Tripp said, "Get her out of here."

"Please go, please go," Werren said, referring to Tripp's comments about those who had served in the military. "I have Gold family members. I have Gold Star families we represent. So don't you ever talk about those families to me."

Tripp then attempted to say that he had criticized council members for absenteeism, not patriotism.

"Don't you ask me about service!" Werren said.

"I didn't ask you about service," Tripp said as Police Chief Frank Kemp expelled him from the meeting.

"That's what we're here for, to follow the agenda," Werren said.

'Hair on fire' comments

Revoldt said, about "hair-on-fire comments" at the podium, "they reflect opinion with little to no research. Comments are not anchored in fact or reason. ... I've become convinced that this public speaks has become a platform to criticize and attack council, the administration, staff with false and misleading statements."

He said Tripp had stated the city lost a $426,000 grant to upgrade Bitzer Park when the grant had gone to improve Dogwood Park instead. Revoldt said Tripp had criticized city officials for not persuading Diebold to relocate to North Canton instead of Hudson. Revoldt said Tripp had failed to mention that Diebold moved into a pre-existing building in Hudson where Diebold would have had to build a new facility in North Canton.

"We have individuals who frequent this room who do not practice decorum and violate the rules," said Revoldt. "We really don't know how (such comments) damages our city's economic future. We don't know who (which businesses considering relocating to North Canton) watches (council's meetings on Youtube)."

Council members David Metheney, Ward 2, (Editor's note: Information has been updated to correct an error. See correction below. 4:20 p.m. Aug. 19) and John Orr, Ward 4, said they didn't think the rule was warranted. Metheney said public speaks was the best opportunity for residents to address all city elected officials at one time. Council already had rules requiring all participants show decorum, and council should enforce those rules, he said.

After the meeting, Stroia, a main proponent of the rule, said it was not easy to fact check on the spot what speakers say. But it would be easier to limit unfair comments about city employees as it would be easier to enforce a rule requiring speakers limit themselves to topics on the agenda.

Stroia asked Benjamin Young, the city's director of legislative affairs, to draft a rule limiting public speaks to issues related to public safety and agenda items. It would allow for residents to meet with an at-large councilman and ward councilman before council meetings, known up as availability sessions, to bring up any topics they wished.

Metheney said residents should be able to express their concerns to all council members, not just two of them.

Former Councilman Chuck Osborne, who's spoken at nearly all of council's public speaks since 2003, said Revoldt and Werren are the ones making personal attacks.

"They're overly dramatizing," he said, adding that while he's criticized Young for having insufficient experience for his job, he's never attacked Young personally.

"Elected officials have to be able to defend their actions and they don’t want to do that. All they want up there are cheerleaders," said Osborne.

Tripp said accusations he's making misleading statements are "fabricated."

He said he was not questioning Werren's patriotism. But he noted that the council members seeking to limit public speaks had not served in the military with the willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend Americans' rights. He said he purposefully spoke out of turn to be kicked out so Revoldt and Werren would "show their true colors."

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @rwangREP.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Councilman David Metheney's last name.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Residents object to North Canton Council plan to limit public speaking