First Amendment Violation -- St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners Considers Ban on Citizens Asking Qustions -- Proposed Board Rule 4.705 is Unconstitutional

St. Johns County's Board of County Commissioners (BCC) tomorrow (August 20) will be asked by the County Attorney, PATRICK McCORMACK, to approve a blatant First Amendment violation, to be carved into the rules of the Commission, forbidding citizens from ever again asking questions of Commissioners, unless they are merely "rhetorical" and don't seek answers.
Why? What is County Administrator MICHAEL WANCHICK & Co. afraid of -- being asked questions he doesn't want to answer? In the words of William F. Buckley, Jr., "Why does baloney reject the grinder?"
The provision, proposed Section 4.705 of BCC policies, is contained in agenda item 10 at tomorrow's BCC meeting, to be presented by County Attorney PATRICK McCORMACK.
It is as unconstitutional as it is unfriendly and unseemly -- what were they thinking?.
Evidently, some County staffers want citizens to be seen and not heard. This is absurd and abusive, like a similar rule instituted at the United States Tennessee Valley Authority under Chairman Marvin Runyon (former Nissan Chair and later U.S. Postal Service Chairman).
You have a constitutional right to ask questions.
America works best when we ask questions.
This proposed Rule 4.705 is contrary to the genius of a free people.
Keep asking questions.
If 4.705 is adopted, it needs to be challenged at every meeting, and in court.
What do you reckon?
Ed Slavin
Clean Up St. Augustine
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
904-377-4998