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(Editor’s note: Niagara Falls City Council Chairperson Jim Perry published the below as a Facebook status on Saturday. It is shared here because it illustrates his mindset in the face of the chaos that has beset the governing body he leads.)
By Chairperson Jim Perry
Niagara Falls City Council
I thought it was important for me to speak out, in light of all the misinformation and slanting going on in social media and even in the mainstream press, about the recent revision of the speaking rules in the Niagara Falls City Council meetings so at least people hear both sides of the story.
First of all, I would like to dispel the myth that this is an infringement of First Amendment Rights. Shame on you, even the “reporters” who are making veiled claims that this is an attack on people’s “rights.” I challenge any of you to demonstrate where there is a segment in the Open Meeting Law that gives the public a right to speak at government meetings.
For two years, I have listened to people come before the Council. At first I applied the letter of the rule and was criticized for it. So I was asked to allow people to say whatever they wanted, and it would settle down. Well, it got worse. We have heard from plenty of people, both in the Government and the citizens of our city, asking us to put a stop to it.
We have been tolerant of people coming before the Council meetings spewing many accusations and lies. I will call them out and out lies, too. How do I know they are lies? Because most have been investigated, and they didn’t turn out to be simple exaggerations, they were lies, plain and simple.
If people have real issues, with real problems, I have met with them and directed them to the proper places to seek help. I won’t get into specifics because I don’t want to give any credit to these people. Even the Gazette has given them too much credit. We are not there to hear personal grievances. We are there to act on government business.
Instead of wasting the time of everyone watching those meetings, maybe people should learn how the government works and go to the proper agency that handles their complaints. It isn’t the City Council. If you have an issue that we can resolve for you, pick up the phone or write an email with your name, phone number and identify yourself properly and we will look into the problem if that is within our jurisdiction, but we do not control the day to day operations of the City, that is not what the City Council does. You can see what each department is responsible for by going on line and getting a copy of the City Charter and reading it or calling City Hall and asking like a civilized person.
I have personally met with many people to help point them in the right direction, but I am not going to do the work for them. We are there to vote on items brought before the Council. Instead of having five minutes for people to carry on for each speech, we cut it down to three minutes and we barred any personal attacks in their presentations. Personal attacks and personal grievances have no place in City Council Meetings. These rules have come from reviewing what other organizations in the area have in their rules, and also evaluating what is reasonable from people who have called or written to us with suggestions. That would be, people from the City of Niagara Falls that are registered voters. Some have suggested we stop the public speaking totally, but we did not want to do that at this time.
I have always prided myself on being a middle-of-the-roader when if comes to my political views. I have found the problem with that in politics is that you get called names by both the liberals and the conservatives, but that is fine. I have been getting called all sorts of names since the days of my military service, when I wore the uniform of the US Army and again while I was an executive for a Fortune 500 company.
People who refuse to understand that you stand up to lead and do the right thing are always going to take shots at you because they don’t have the guts to stand up and do the right thing themselves. Instead, they sit on the sidelines and take pot-shots. They advocate for whatever they want and care very little for what others want. So be that as it may, I will continue to do what I feel is right and I praise those other elected officials that also stand up and do the work without having to play to the crowds.
Here is one more thing for you to think about – the hometown newspaper itself has limits on what you can write. The number of words you can write and what you can write – it that also an infringement on your Freedom of Speech? I can’t put this in the newspaper because it exceeds their word limits for the Guest Editorial – wow – “infringement on your Freedom of Speech?” Here is the difference – I understand there are limits, even though they say they are a public service, they need their space for advertising to make money. I respect that. Maybe they should respect the City Council’s right to set rules when people come to speak before us?
Those of you who have some fantasy that we live in a free and open society need to rethink your line of thought. We live in a society of laws and regulations. Without them we would be nothing but a society ruled by gangs and warlords. Laws, regulations, and rules are what separate us from the animal kingdom.
Think about this for a moment the next time you start to scream about the crime rate and how bad your life is.
I am not a professional writer like my friends at the Gazette, so I will leave this here, but I hope they will get the message and hope they understand OUR position.
I still encourage people to support our hometown paper.
