Want to speak at a Bellefonte Borough Council meeting? You now need to be a resident, show ID
Tempers flared Monday when Bellefonte council members argued among themselves and with people who attended a meeting that saw the borough change the way it receives feedback from the public.
The heated meeting drew several groans from attendees and included brickbats from council members to fellow council members.
After Councilwoman Joanne Tosti-Vasey raised her voice to cast her vote — as she has done in the past — council President Kent Bernier quickly responded.
“We talked about that, Joanne,” Bernier said. “Remember, try to be professional. We know you’re passionate about it, but you can be professional.”
“I am professional about it,” Tosti-Vasey replied.
“No, you’re not,” Bernier responded. “That sounded childish.”
The verbal sparring between the two came at the end of a contentious 5-4 vote to change the way the borough carries out its public comment period. The vote was conducted without public comment and over an objection from Tosti-Vasey.
The new resolution passed by Borough Council requires borough residents to register and show identification at the beginning of each meeting. It also gives Borough Council the option to shut down or defer public comments if it determines they are “unusually long, the atmosphere has become unruly, or the comments become repetitive.”
Public comments would be accepted at the beginning of the meeting for items on the agenda, while comments about items not on the agenda wouldn’t be heard until the end of the meeting.
The previous policy allowed for public comment from Bellefonte residents, business owners and their employees, and representatives of nonprofits that affect the borough. Tosti-Vasey decried the new restrictions, saying they disenfranchise employees who work for Bellefonte businesses, but do not live in the borough.
For example, she said, neither the director of Historic Bellefonte Inc. nor the director of Downtown Bellefonte Inc. would be allowed to offer public comment during Borough Council meetings under the new resolution.
“On its face, this looks like an attempt to me to quash speech,” Tosti-Vasey said. “This timing also attempts to suppress any comment you may not want to hear this evening or in the future.”
The resolution was brought forward at the first meeting since nearly a dozen people urged Borough Council to call for a cease-fire aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Attendees spoke for about 45 minutes at the mid-July meeting.
It was the first time Borough Council passed a resolution regarding public comment since December 2021, borough Manager Ralph Stewart told the CDT.
Melissa Melewsky — media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, of which the Centre Daily Times is a member — wrote in an email to the CDT that the policy is “consistent with state law” and similar versions are used across the state.
But she also questioned the way in which the resolution was proposed.
“The aspect that I find disturbing here is the fact that it appears to have been enacted as a result of public comments that the agency members might have found objectionable. Public comment policies must be reasonable and cannot be used as a means to discourage public comment,” Melewsky wrote. “The fact that this policy was only enacted after public comment that apparently had the disapproval of elected officials raises a red flag.
“Government should welcome public comment and make time for robust public debate on matters of public concern. That can take time and be controversial, but that’s the nature of free speech. It is the job of public officials to facilitate time and opportunity for the public to be heard by their community and elected officials.”
Before casting their votes, Councilwoman Deborah Cleeton said requiring residents in a borough the size of Bellefonte to show identification is “embarrassing.” Councilwoman Rita Purnell disagreed, saying “we have to show ID for lots of other things that we do in our life. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal for this.”
Councilwoman Shawna McKean said the timing of the resolution being brought for a vote “sounds discriminatory.” She was met with applause after she said she planned to introduce a cease-fire resolution.
Bernier, Councilman Randy Brachbill, Councilwoman Barbara Dann, Councilman Doug Johnson and Purnell voted in favor of the resolution. Cleeton, McKean, Councilwoman Johanna Sedgwick and Tosti-Vasey voted against.
Arguments then spilled out from council members to attendees, sometimes with the former talking over the latter. Stewart and Bernier were among those who attempted to shut down a man’s comment for being “out of order.”
“You are out of order by putting the vote before the public comments,” Tony White said. “That’s out of order.”
“According to who?” Bernier responded.
After being told he would be escorted out of the meeting if he did not stop, White continued with one more comment.
“It’s amazing that when people are concerned about people dying and speaking up about it that your response is to stop them from speaking instead of considering it and taking the action that’s possible,” White said.
Eight people spoke in support of a cease-fire at the end of the meeting, including an 11-year-old. Borough Council’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 3.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 11:25 AM.