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“You’re Going to Wait”: Tamarac Commissioners Vote to Move Public Comments to End of Meetings 2

Commissioners Marlon Bolton, Krystal Patterson, and Vice Mayor Kicia Daniel approved to move public speaking to the end of the meetings.

Tamarac City Commissioners on Wednesday voted to limit public participation at the start of their meetings, a move residents said was an attempt to stifle their speech.

The move was approved with a 3-2 majority: Mayor Michelle Gomez and Commissioner Morey Wright voted against the change, while Commissioners Marlon Bolton, Krystal Patterson, and Vice Mayor Kicia Daniel approved the move.

In doing so, the trio made Tamarac the only municipality in the area without a formal public comment period at the start of its commission meetings, according to city residents.

“No one from Tamarac has spoken in favor of this except three commissioners,” resident Kate Johnson told the commission Wednesday. “When people have spoken against moving public participation, the response from commissioners on this issue is that ‘people can email their concerns,’ [but] some people want their concerns to be heard at City Hall, in public view, and to address all city personnel who attend.”

Mark Goggin, a 24-year city resident, told commissioners they were ignoring their duties as Tamarac’s elected local representatives.

“We pay your salary. We have the right, as [residents in] other cities do, of speaking first,” Goggin said. “You guys don’t treat your constituents the right way.”

Bolton and Patterson said their intention was not to stifle residents’ speech but rather to make meetings more efficient.

City officials said residents would still be able to speak on items the first time they are considered by the commission, as each item comes up for discussion.

But for items getting a second reading under the new ordinance, residents will not be able to speak publicly before a final commission vote, officials said.

"You're Going to Wait": Tamarac Commissioners Vote to Limit Public Comments at Start of Meetings

Resident Darcy Schiller speaks at the beginning of the meeting before the decision passed.

“We will continue to listen to you … you just have to wait until the end,” Bolton said Wednesday.

“It is important that you speak. You’re going to wait. The opportunity to learn as well, to sit and learn, is also afforded to you … my parents told me, “listen before you speak,” he added.

“What about the feelings of [city] staff? What about the feelings of the developers as well? They have to sit through these meetings.”

Patterson, like Bolton, suggested the move would benefit non-residents with business before the city.

“We want the people that are coming here, that have gone through processes that have been deliberated on through committees and different outlets, to be able to be heard,” said Patterson, who unseated incumbent Elvin Villalobos in November.

“And then, if you want to speak on any other item, we’re more than happy to hear from you in every other vehicle whether it’s email, whether it’s coming after the meeting, whatever the case is. We want to hear from you … Ultimately, our objective only is to ensure that we handle the matters of the city effectively, efficiently, and then anything else that we want to do outside of that we’ll do it after we’ve legislated.”

“I certainly don’t have that intention [to stifle public speech]. I just want to respect our developers; I want to respect the people that come here for special exceptions.”

Daniel called arguments that the change would limit speech “misinformation.”

She said the city manager and staff would give residents the opportunity to speak on issues of importance at the beginning of meetings.

That opportunity, however, is not mentioned in the ordinance the commission passed Wednesday.

Gomez said the relegation of the public comment portion to the end of meetings would limit the speech of residents, including business owners.

“I think putting it toward the back end [of meetings] has a legally chilling effect,” said Gomez. “The bottom line is, we are saying that what you have to share with us, for something that is important you … we’re going to make you wait.”

“We are saying we’re not open for business with some of the stuff we’re doing, and we’re not open for listening,” Gomez added.

Commissioners said they would consider giving residents an opportunity to speak at workshops, which are held by the commission before meetings.

The prospects for such a change being implemented were unclear Thursday.

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Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.