Civility Sought

Anyone who attends Branford’s Board of Selectmen (BOS) meetings (pictured) or watches the televised sessions on BCTV knows there are problems. In the past few years, the meetings have become increasingly raucous, with some residents monopolizing the public comment period, or popping up to voice opinions without permission.

There are no rules for conduct or public participation at the meetings, but two of the three selectmen say that may change.

The third selectman says common courtesy could solve the problem.

State law is not so lenient.

State statute (chapter 90, section 7 – 7) says all questions arising at meetings ​“of municipal corporations” shall be decided ​“in accordance with standard parliamentary practices” and towns may ​“by ordinance adopt ​“rules of order for the conduct of their meetings.” So far Branford’s newly elected BOS has done neither. 

During the Jan. 18th meeting, the decorum during the public comment period disintegrated to the point that the meeting was abruptly adjourned, not an unusual occurrence. One group of residents who wished to address the board with concerns about their trailer park could not get a word in amongst the uproar. 

Second Selectman Andy Campbell, a Democrat, said he bruised his knuckles while rapping on the table in an unsuccessful attempt to restore order. ​“We’re going to have to get a gavel and try to maintain order,” said Campbell, who is an attorney.

Most of the state’s 169 towns that have adopted a procedural authority have adopted Roberts Rules of Order, according to E. Marie Wilson, a professional parliamentarian who recently advised the town’s Representative Town Meeting. (RTM) on implementing Roberts Rules. 

The Eagle contacted other shoreline towns to find what type of rules they have for public participation. Guilford, Madison and Clinton, each having a board with five selectmen, have adopted rules for meetings. 

In Branford, it is not unusual for interruptions to occur during BOS deliberations, or when someone is making a formal presentation, sometimes frequently. Some town officials have complained that it is difficult to present proposals at BOS meetings because of the interruptions.

These types of disruptions have become commonplace at other Branford town meetings.

Some candidates for public office and appointees to boards and commissions have borne the brunt of personal attacks and say they are unwilling to serve if it means a public lambasting in a forum without rules. Still others have told the Eagle they simply decided not to run again for public office. 

The moderator of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) this month took the first steps to bring order to the RTM. He enacted a three-minute speaking limit. 

Wilson, who watched video-recorded RTM sessions, drew up a proposed set of new procedures for the RTM. Click here. to read a draft.

Chris Sullivan, the new RTM moderator, is studying additional suggestions besides the 3‑minute rule, including limiting residents to speaking only twice during a meeting or perhaps giving a speaker additional time on a specific topic. 

DaROS’s Views

First Selectman Anthony ​“Unk” DaRos told the Eagle he is considering enacting rules for the BOS sessions. ​“I’m reluctant to do that…but I’m almost being forced to,” he said, because of the escalating disruptions.

DaRos, a Democrat, made similar remarks during a pre-election debate in October hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. He agreed it was time to change the way meetings operate.

In a recent interview, DaRos said it may be necessary to enforce some type of time limits for public comments, such as the RTM is doing. ​“I want it to be a happy medium — to give people ample opportunity to talk, but on the other hand, it has to be on-subject and within reason.”

This is DaRos’ sixth term as first selectman. He has served from 1997 to 2003 and from 2007 until the present. He said he has been deliberating how to draw the line while still allowing the public to speak about town issues.

“I’d rather give the people as much time as they need, as long as it’s town business….but if it’s a personal agenda, that’s not right,” he said. ​“That’s trampling on other people’s rights.”

One of the things DaRos is considering is a set of rules proposed in 2010 by Fran Walsh, who was then serving as second selectman. ​“That’s a good place to start,” he said in regard to Walsh’s proposal.

Walsh’s proposals included setting time limits for public comments, and asking people to leave a meeting if they are ruled out of order and fail to comply. He also said residents should be required to raise their hand and be recognized before speaking. ​“We teach that in kindergarten,” he told the board. 

Walsh made 11 suggestions at the time. None were enacted. In his proposal, Walsh said that failure to follow the standards would result in a person being declared out of order, and if the person does not stop speaking, the first selectman can ask the speaker to leave the meeting. Further action could be taken if the speaker does not cooperate.

Walsh, former principal of the intermediate school that bears his name, served five terms as second selectman before choosing not to run last year. He recently told the Eagle he still believes his suggestions are viable.

“I do think we have to bring a little more respect to the meetings and conduct them as they were meant to be conducted,” he said, noting there were too many disruptions during meetings. ​“People start talking like they’re on the Board of Selectmen,” he said.

Campbell’s Views

Campbell has seen the problem from the standpoint of a newly elected selectman and also from the vantage point of a previous RTM member.

“Clearly something needs to be done,” said Campbell, who was just elected to the BOS in November.

“I am an optimist,” Campbell said in regard to restoring order at the meetings. ​“But this is tough stuff. It’s been a long-term problem.”

He said some of Walsh’s 2010 suggestions could be adopted by the three-member board. ​“Being recognized after you raise your hand should be part of the new rules,” Campbell said. He said that people speaking out of turn prevents the board from conducting business. ​“It’s an interruption of the decision-making process.”

Campbell also said that some regulations regarding written communications should be considered. ​“I do think we have the right to restrict (written) communication to be relevant and valid to town purposes.”

He also favors time limits for speakers.

Cosgrove’s Views

Jamie Cosgrove, the sole Republican on the BOS, said he doesn’t think the three-member board needs the same type of structure and rules as the 30-member RTM on which he served for two years. He was elected to the BOS last November. 

“I’m not really in favor of enacting any rules that limit public participation,” Cosgrove told the Eagle. ​“I think we should be encouraging it.”

He did acknowledge that BOS meetings have gotten out of hand over the years. ​“Shouting matches should not be occurring,” he said. ​“There has to be a certain level of decorum in the room in order for debate to occur.”

He said rules could be ineffective and difficult to enforce. ​“I think a lot of it is common courtesy,” he said. 

Although he said he believes that people should raise their hand and be acknowledged before speaking, he said he doubts that setting a rule would make people raise their hands. ​“You learn that when you’re a kid — -raising your hand when you want to be recognized. But people [at BOS meetings] just don’t do it.”

He had another suggestion for keeping order: ​“Stick to the topic…keep the personal stuff out.”

View Of State Experts

Mary Glassman is the president of the CT Conference of Municipalities, which represents the views of all Connecticut towns and cities before the legislature, the executive branch, regulatory agencies and the courts. She is also the first selectman of Simsbury and is a lawyer.

In an interview she said that one of the first things ​“a newly elected board must do is to adopt rules of order for a meeting. It can be Roberts Rules or something else. Roberts is easy to get and understand. Simsbury has adopted it.”

She said rules can be fashioned for public participation but with limits. ​“There is a balance. You can tailor your rules. We do not allow personal attacks,” she said. Municipalities may also bar personal attacks on board or commission members, staff or members of the public.

“In the town of Simsbury, the Board of Selectmen has voted to allow the public no more than five minutes to speak. This is because the Board must move onto the business of the town,” she said. ​“We also follow Roberts Rules of Order which is a good guideline since it does not allow personal attacks but keeps the discussion focused on the issues,” she said.

Click here to see Simsbury’s Rules of Procedure for 2011.

E. Marie Wilson, the professional parliamentarian who advised the RTM, said in an interview there is a popular misconception about who speaks at board and RTM meetings. The misconception is ​“ya all come and everybody will talk.”

From her perspective, the members of the RTM and the BOS are the elected representatives.

“The public are not members of the meeting. To the extent that the members allow them to speak, that’s a good thing, I think. I do believe that governmental bodies that are making our laws need to hear from the public. But I think the manner in which they hear needs to be facilitated so that everyone who wants to gets a chance to speak and no group or no individual consumes all of the allocated speaking time.

“I do believe that in most places, those towns that have actually allocated speaking time and have developed rules to govern that speaking time, will really have a much more civil meeting than those that have not.”

She said it was clear that the RTM, though required to adopt meeting rules, ​“had no rules. The town charter does specifically mention Roberts Rules and says they should adopt it.” In the past the RTM has adopted Roberts Rules, but has not actually abided by them. Inviting Wilson to Branford to explain the rules to the new RTM board was the first step in actually applying Roberts Rules to RTM meetings. 

She said neither the RTM nor the BOS should expect overnight change, if the BOS adopts new meeting rules.
​“You start somewhere. You start with the small pieces. When something takes that long to get that far out you can’t get it all back in a quarter of the time.”

Imposing rules for conduct and speaking limits at meetings is important, she said. ​“I think citizens need to feel a sense of order.”

Public Hearings This Week

By town statute, public hearings operate under different regulations.

Two public hearings are scheduled during the Feb. 1 BOS meeting. One will focus on the water taxi service proposed for the Thimble Islands. The other is a hearing on site proposals for the new public works building.

DaRos said the public works hearing will be a question-and-answer session to provide a chance for the selectmen and residents to ask questions of the consultant who gave a presentation on the proposed Tabor Drive site. DaRos said a full public hearing will be scheduled on the issue at a later date.

The BOS typically have specific rules for public participation at hearings. Residents may be asked to sign a list if they wish to speak, and to keep their comments within a specific time limit.

Some towns use public hearing-type rules for their regular meetings.

For example, in Guilford, the public is permitted to offer comments at the beginning and end of each meeting. The selectmen have the option to limit speakers to three minutes, depending on the number of people wishing to speak. Comments must be related to agenda items.

Speakers in Madison may address the board at the beginning of the meeting, but the administrative assistant said there is ​“nothing set in stone” in regard to time limits.

In Clinton, the public may speak at the beginning of each session. Anyone wishing to comment later in the meeting must be recognized by the chair and receive permission, or they cannot speak. There are no specific time limits.

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