At the last village of Fredonia Board of Trustees worship session there was an item to review concerning citizens addressing the Village Board at their public meetings. Nothing was decided at the worship session, but it appears a motion may be made at the next Village Board meeting on Monday to suspend or prohibit Fredonia residents from addressing the Village Board at its public meetings.

Allowing residents to speak before their elected representative at Village Board meetings has been a longtime practice in Fredonia, as well as all other municipalities in Chautauqua County and throughout the state.

The apparent reasons given by certain trustees for banning the public from addressing their elected representative is that members of the public have become disruptive to the Board meeting. Adjectives used by certain Trustees to describe the public comments is that some citizen remarks at the meetings have become a threat to village officials, destructive, demeaning, finger pointing, belittling, harassing and a threat.

I attend most Village Board meetings and those allegations are simply not true. I haven’t heard any verbal “assaults” destructive criticism or demeaning behavior or threats made against any Village officials as some trustees claim. Those trustees who want to ban public comments use exaggerated and unfair adjectives to describe the public comments. Those kinds of descriptions of village residents are unwarranted and an excuse to avoid listening to the people who elected the mayor and board to public office.

Elected officials should expect to take criticism. Federal and state courts have consistently ruled that silencing or penalizing citizens because they are not respectful or courteous is an unconstitutional prior restraint on free speech. Also any policy that requires respectful and courteous remarks have been struck down as unconstitutional prior restraint.

Threatening village officials or disruptive behavior at a Village Board meeting needs to be prohibited, but none of that has occurred. There was one recent isolated incident at the end of a Village Board meeting that was loud involving two or three people in the audience. It did not disrupt the board meeting as it occurred after the meeting.

In many cases public criticisms of village officials are warranted. Public criticism can also provide important information. Elected officials have an obligation to listen to any citizen of Fredonia who comes before the Village Board. If a resident states a trustee is doing a bad job and should resign, that resident has every right to say that.

Some residents (very few) may speak loudly or emotionally. But speaking loudly or emotionally is not a reason to deny that resident or other residents attending the Board meeting the right to freely address their elected representatives. That would be considered an unwarranted punishment and also a punishment against those who are polite and respectful.

The present issue with village water is of prime importance to residents and residents can get emotional over it. Being emotional over an issue, whatever it may be, is not a crime or reason to punish the resident or other residents who want to address the Village Board.

Silencing public comments from residents attending Village Board meetings is not only undemocratic, it’s a terrible insult to the residents of the Village. Don’t silence the public. Let the public be heard at Fredonia Village Board meetings.

The tradition of allowing free speech by Village residents at Village Board meetings needs to be protected and encouraged.

Sam Drayo Jr. is a village resident and a former attorney for Fredonia.