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County speaker urges civility, strict enforcement of three-minute public comment limit
Summary
An unnamed meeting speaker criticized conduct at last week's budget hearing, urged respect during public comment, and reiterated the three-minute time limit used by St. Mary's County meetings.
An unidentified meeting speaker at the St. Mary's County Commissioners meeting criticized what they described as disrespectful behavior at last week's budget hearing and urged attendees to follow the three-minute public-comment rule.
The speaker said the incident included a mispronunciation of their name and an insinuation that they were "asleep on the dais," and that they confronted Commissioner Hu over it. The speaker said, "you can disagree without being disagreeable," and asked audience members and colleagues to adhere to the time limit so meetings do not run late.
The speaker also said former delegate Deb Ray was shouted down during public comments and emphasized that the county enforces a strict three-minute limit for each speaker: "3 minutes is 3 minutes." The speaker suggested stronger enforcement measures in a light-hearted way, saying staff might need a "kill switch on the mic" or music to play people off.
County Administrator Weiskopf was mentioned as responding repeatedly during the prior hearing with "thank you very much," according to the speaker.
The remarks tied back to a motto the speaker attributed to St. Mary's County Public Schools—"work hard and be nice"—which the speaker cited when urging civility during public meetings. The comments were delivered as part of general remarks at the meeting rather than as a formal agenda item; no motions or votes were taken on enforcement changes.
