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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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To the Editor: Neptune voters need to know how citizens' rights were violated by the TWP committee majority at their April 10th meeting. Catley, Golub and Paladino adjourned the meeting early and suddenly to stop citizens from speaking. (Thanks to Committeemen Bishop and Manning for voting to let citizens speak.) I was one of those citizens, standing in the first row with my hand raised. What were they afraid I was going to say? Every elected official takes and Oath of Office, swearing to uphold the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. The First Amendment very simply bars any abridgment of citizens' speech at public meetings. But politicians like Catley and Golub seem afraid of citizen speech, so they create exceptions to the First Amendment. There's former Committeeman Iadanza's "no personal attacks" -- so you can't introduce evidence of a Committeeman's wrong doing? There's Mayor Catley's "no quarreling among citizens" -- so citizens can't disagree on an issue? There's Catley's "don't repeat what's been said before" -- so you can't lend emphasis to another citizen's speech? There is also Catley's "it has to be about Neptune business only" and another, "You have to speak to the dais, not to the public." And now, after April 10th, we know that Catley and Golub, to silence speech they don't like or think they won't like or perhaps are very afraid of, will suddenly vote a quick-quick adjournment of the meeting. What speech are they so fearful of that they'll violate their Oath of Office? Dorothy Argyros |
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