Speakers will now be able to legally criticize the Surprise City Council and its government officials during city council meetings.
With little fanfare, the Surprise Council on Sept. 17 unanimously voted to repeal a rule that prohibited complaints against people within the city.
Rule 2(e) on Surprise’s “Rules for the Public at Council Meetings” in its Council Policies and Procedures Manual is now off the books.
“It’s pretty straightforward,” City Attorney Robert Wingo told the rest of the council about the agenda item.
Nobody on council commented on the item before voting on it, and nobody on the public spoke on the matter after several spoke out at the last council meeting.
The city will still be dealing with legal ramifications from the rule, which dates back to at least 2015, although city officials aren’t quite sure how and when it was enacted in the first place.
City activist Rebekah Massie is suing the city after she was arrested Aug. 20 when speaking out against a raise for Wingo during call to the public.
Rule 2(e) is on the form speakers must sign before addressing the council. Mayor Skip Hall referred to it as the reason he cut off Massie from finishing her comments.
When Massie refused to leave, Hall called for an officer to remove her from the speaker’s lectern. The arrest was captured on video and seen millions of times online.
Arizona state Sen. John Kavanagh last week called for a state investigation into Surprise’s policy, but also said he would drop his request to Attorney General Kris Mayes if Surprise voted on the action like it did on Tuesday.
Jason Stone can be reached at jstone@iniusa.org. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Jason Jason Stone joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2019, after a distinguished three decade media career that included stops at the Arizona Republic, iHeart Media/Clear Channel and Beckett Sports Card magazine. He remembers when airports sold newspapers.
Community: He is a big supporter of the Valley's original sports team: The Phoenix Suns.
Education: Northern Arizona University with a BS in broadcast journalism and a minor in sports coaching.
Random Fact: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.
Hobbies: Surfing, backgammon and men who aren't afraid to cry.
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