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Members urge consistent enforcement of gallery rules and time limits for elected officials
Summary
Committee members discussed strict enforcement of gallery-slip rules and consistent public-comment time limits; some suggested limited extra time for the borough president, to be handled at leadership or full-board level.
Community Board 11’s Bylaws and Ethics Committee discussed enforcing the gallery-slip requirement and equal time limits for public commenters, including elected officials, after uneven application at prior meetings.
Committee members said the bylaws set a five-minute limit for elected officials and that the rule should be applied consistently. One member noted that Assemblyman Zicario was cut off at five minutes while the borough president was allowed more time at a prior meeting; members said that inconsistent enforcement can create poor optics, particularly near election periods. A suggestion was made to allow the borough president an occasional extension (for example, 10 minutes) but to formalize any exceptions in policy or through leadership.
Why it matters: consistent rules for public comment and clear enforcement promote fairness and reduce perceptions of preferential treatment.
The committee tied this discussion to the planned bylaws review and the flowchart used in ethics for handling complaints; members recommended clarifying time limits and procedures and ensuring officers (including sergeant at arms) enforce them. No formal policy change was adopted; members proposed raising the issue in leadership or at the full board so any exception could be documented.
Next steps: members will raise the time-limit enforcement issue in leadership and consider formal language in the bylaws review process.
