Shout it Out: Is a Limit to Public Comments Censorship?

Open meetings law in Illinois gives the public the right to attend, but not to comment. That doesn't really matter, because most public bodies provide the opportunity to comment during a meeting.

The New Lenox School District 122 board of education debuts a new set of policies tonight, following approval last month, that encourages more dialogue but also sets some guidelines that could be viewed as censorship ().

One rule allows the board president to deny a member of the public from speaking on a topic he or she has spoken on at a meeting within the past two months. Another guideline directs public commenters to “conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board policy.”

Is that censorship? Not according to the state Board of Education, which says there's no reason a school board can't limit public comments.

"We talked about the whole freedom of speech issue without it turning into a free-for-all," board President Nick DiSandro said in a previous article. "If you're saying the same thing we can end up being disrespectful to our time, the staff’s time and the speaker’s time. We don’t need it."

Instead, DiSandro and the board hope this will make public commenting smoother, and he wants more of a , something that was a concern last year.

Generally, public comments can be helpful for elected officials to gather input from residents and taxpayers. At New Lenox Village Board meetings, there has certainly been more of a back-and-forth dialogue among trustees and the public.

"It shows you, too, care about this community," trustee Keith Madsen said to the public during a recent board meeting.

But where do they draw the line? For District 122, the policy now clearly states that someone may be denied an opportunity to speak about an issue if they've harped on that issue before in the last couple months.

When someone at the Village Board meeting earlier in October , Mayor Tim Baldermann shot back and said, "No, you will not. We don’t give in to threats like that. You’re entitled to your opinion. For those who make respectful comments, we’ll respond and answer your questions."

I really encourage residents to speak out and voice their opinions, especially at public meetings. They can bring important perspective to issues being discussed and really enhance the dialogue. That is, when facts are involved. During the Village Board meeting, one man said he called village administrator Kurt Carroll for more information about a certain project.

Trustee Nancy Dye remembered when she was a young mother, concerned about the village switching from monthly permit fees to daily fees for commuter lot parking. She called the village to get more information.

“Hats off to you for calling Kurt Carroll," Dye said. "We can’t tell you everything up here, but we really appreciate you calling."

It will be important to see whether the new policies limit public comments, or if a more involved dialogue is created with a new focus.