Our thin skinned mayor doesn’t like being corrected, fact checked or criticized for his missteps. He especially does not like being criticized for the lack of transparency by his board majority and for his restriction of free speech.

So what does he do? The mayor doubles down and tries to have the public comment session removed from village board meetings during an illegal executive session vote. Kudos to trustees Christine Cruz Keefe and LeeAnn Lazarony for voting against the removal of the public comment session from village board meetings. Much respect goes to Lazarony for pointing out the improper vote publicly and on camera during the May 11 board meeting.

Trustee Lazarony made sure that the public comment session was temporarily reinstated for at least that May 11 meeting. Shame on the trustees who have voted to silence the public and make sure that citizens’ comments are not broadcast and recorded on Public Access TV. As fully expected, the mayor and his supporters will behave in un-American fashion and try to vote once again, this time legally and properly, to have public comment removed from village board meetings.

The mayor and certain board members will likely continue their fear mongering and make the false claim that the public comment session of board meetings has become dangerous because of some unruly citizens acting improperly and out of order. Sadly, it is the mayor and one or two of the mayor’s supporters who can’t behave in an orderly fashion at these meetings. The mayor has complained about individuals invading his privacy, coming to his house with cameras recording and people banging on his door in the middle of the night. These accounts may make the mayor appear sympathetic but how is eliminating public comment going to stop incidents that are not happening at village board meetings?

Why not just ban the rule breakers from village board meetings as the mayor has threatened to do for months? Because that would not silence his critics and the critics of the board, which is the unspoken reason for the threats and the proposal to eliminate public comment in the first place.

Should the mayor suspend himself from village board meetings for his use of profanity during that May 11 meeting? Just like one of his supporters admitted on camera, Ferguson violated his own rules for public comment.

While the trustees have the legal authority to remove the public’s comments from village board meetings, that does not make it right. This is the people’s government. The meetings are broadcast on Public Access TV, which is paid for by taxpayers. The public deserves to see and hear the entirety of village board meetings. Public Access is not the mayor’s TV station. It is owned by the citizens of Fredonia.

The board may have the legal right to remove public comment from their board meetings but there is a higher moral authority that makes the public’s right to speak to their government in full view of their fellow citizens an American imperative. There should be at least one unrestricted public comment session at every village board meeting. And village board meetings, including public comment sessions, should be broadcasted on Public Access TV and posted in their entirety on YouTube for all to see. Anything else is un-American.

If the board continues to restrict public comment, the Save Our Reservoir group is willing to give the public the opportunity to address their fellow citizens. SOR will hold their own public comment session after village board meetings and post the comments on Facebook and YouTube. The public is welcome to join SOR following village board meetings and speak to any topic regarding village government that is of public interest. And of course Fredonians are encouraged to watch village board meetings on Public Access and YouTube. Nothing is more American than speaking truth to power.

Andrew Ludwig is a retired math teacher and a retired public school and Catholic school administrator. He currently works as a substitute teacher in Chautauqua County.