‘It is a privilege’: Beaufort County Council to restrict public comments
Two weeks after a citizen scolded him at a council meeting over a lack of transparency, Beaufort County Council Chairman Stu Rodman has stopped public comments at the beginning of meetings, according to an Oct. 22 email obtained by The Island Packet.
Starting Monday night, residents will no longer be allowed to speak at the beginning of county council meetings. Until now, they could speak to council at the start for 3 minutes about specific agenda issues and for 3 minutes at the end about general issues. With Rodman’s change, those who want to speak about issues on the agenda will have to wait until that issue is brought up or until the end of the meeting. The agenda for Monday night’s council meeting reflects this change.
The move is the second time this year that Rodman, first elected to council in 2007, has placed barriers between local government officials and the citizens they’re elected to serve. In June, Rodman emailed his colleagues, recommending that transparency be removed as one of the County Council’s top priorities. When called for comment on that recommendation, he said he would refuse to speak to reporters from The Island Packet.
On Oct. 22, Rodman, who became chairman this year, said in an email that the public comment section “is being abused. It is not required by statute. It is a privilege we extend to the public.” Rodman sent the email to the five other committee chairs on council, Administrator Ashley Jacobs, clerk to council Sarah Brock, County Attorney Tom Keaveny and Assistant County Attorney Chris Inglese.
In the email, Rodman outlined his plan for council and executive committee meetings: keep public comments at the end of the meeting; eliminate public comments at the beginning of the meeting; and, “entertain” public comment on agenda items as council discusses them.
Rodman also said he would eliminate public comments altogether at county caucus meetings — where council members discuss issues before regular session, and meet often in executive session.
“Being abused”
During public comments at a June County Council meeting, Skip Hoagland, a vocal critic of local government officials, attempted to use his allotted 3 minutes to address transparency in county government. Hoagland spoke for less than a minute before Rodman called the meeting into recess. Hoagland kept talking, and Rodman called for an officer to intervene four times. Deputies did not respond to Rodman’s demands.
At the most recent council meeting, on Oct. 14, Hoagland again directed his complaints about transparency to Rodman during the beginning of the meeting and toward the end.
“I’m going to speak to you again,” Hoagland said. “After this 3 minutes, I’m going to speak to you another 3 minutes.”
Rodman said that exchange prompted him to “think about” removing the first public comment section, which allows citizens to speak about agenda items before the council votes on them. He said allowing citizens to speak while each agenda item is discussed during the meeting instead of before allows for a “more efficient discussion.”
Asked whether anyone else had “abused” public comment, Rodman said no.
He also said allowing citizens to speak at committee meetings — which are typically held during the workday — is “an awful lot more important” than speaking at council meetings. He said he would remove public comments at caucus meetings because those meetings are typically held right before council meetings and he thinks “that’s plenty.”
As chairman, Rodman has the power to set and amend the agenda before council meetings.
“A privilege”
Councilman Brian Flewelling said he “disagreed with a lot of what [Rodman] said” and didn’t think the public comment section was being abused.
“I think this open forum for public comment is valuable,” he said. “It lets us know about problems that weren’t even on our horizon. I think it’s a valuable tool.”
Flewelling said he wanted to see how Monday night’s meeting played out and he would make sure that public comment was allowed for each agenda item.
Councilman Mike Covert said he did not support limiting conversations to agenda items.
“Why not make it available at the beginning and the end?” Covert asked. “Some people can’t get there until later, and some people have to leave.”
Councilman Chris Hervochon said it benefits the council to allow citizens to speak at the beginning of meetings before issues are up for a vote. For example, council plans to discuss an ordinance in which the county would agree to pay $2.5 million for safety improvements at the entrance to Windmill Harbour on U.S. 278. Hervochon said he wanted residents from Windmill Harbour to have the opportunity to speak before the meeting.
Monday night’s council meeting — typically held in Beaufort — will be at the Hilton Head Island Branch Library at 6 p.m. The only public comment section listed on the agenda is at the end of the meeting just before adjournment.
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 4:27 PM.
