New Mdlsx Freeholder Director Shuts Down Public Commentary

by: kwilkinson

Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 04:33:32 PM EST

Since Freeholder Director Crabiel's death last November, Deputy Director Dalina has become the new Director. At last night's freeholder board meeting, there was a group of people including clergy, wanting to speak about the county's housing immigrant detainees in the jail and the ICE raids on homes that have occurred, particularly in the Indonesian community in Woodbridge. The new Freeholder Director did not follow the practice established by Crabiel, which was to open the floor for comments only on resolutions on the agenda, before opening to any comments. Immediately after Dalina's first call for public comment, he moved to closed the meeting, and it was over. It must be one of the shortest Mdlsx Co. freeholder meetings in history, lasting around 35 minutes! People who were prepared to make comments were very frustrated. And it looks to me like the director is right on the edge of (if not across the line) violating the Open Public Meetings Act.

kwilkinson :: New Mdlsx Freeholder Director Shuts Down Public Commentary

Tags: David Crabiel, Middlesex, Open Public Meetings Act, (All Tags)

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New Mdlsx Freeholder Director Shuts Down Public Commentary | 3 comments

Another Example of Legalized Non-Democracy (0.00 / 0)

What follows is a quote from a state issued .pdf file summary of the law.... http://njfog.org/images/downlo...

The law requires that public bodies permit all members of the public to attend their
meetings. However, the right to attend meetings does not entitle members of the public to
participate in the meetings.

What's needed is for this law to be amended in a way that assures that the public has a reasonable opportunity for input in the form of statements and/or questions being presented/raised at the public/official meeting. Sounds like Freeholder "Director" Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina has all the instincts of a dictator...and what's worse; it's perfectly legal. He shouldn't have the "freedom" to arbitrarily shut down public input/discussion/debate at an official public meeting......that's an un-American way of doing business and he should be ashamed of himself. Alas, dictators tend to be shameless, and even proud of their arrogant "stand".

This is what eventually happens when the dictatorial impulse is allowed to shut down the free speech of free people seeking to speak at public meetings......

....you don't have to understand a word of Italian, just listen to the tone of voice and watch the facial expressions/body language. The place to stop this kind of dictatorial crap is at the local level before it gets out of hand.

by: Nick Lento @ Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 08:03:04 AM UTC