Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Procedure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Candidates call for Robert’s Rules training, debate balance between free speech and decorum
Summary
At the Sept. 17 League of Women Voters forum, Clawson mayoral and council candidates generally endorsed training on Robert’s Rules of Order, highlighted the mayor’s role in setting tone, and discussed protecting public comment while maintaining meeting decorum.
Candidates at the Sept. 17 forum endorsed training on Robert’s Rules of Order for new and returning council members and debated how to balance protection of free speech with maintaining decorum.
Scott Manning, a candidate and pastor, said training should be part of a newly elected council’s onboarding: “One of the pieces after election should be a training on Robert’s Rules of Order,” he said, adding that respectful two-way communication is essential. Multiple candidates echoed that view and named the Michigan Municipal League (MML) training as a useful resource.
Mayoral candidate Paula Milan said the mayor sets the tone for civil dialogue and urged creating “the proper environment” for residents to speak. Milan used a metaphor drawn from popular culture, saying that when people yell it can reflect strong civic engagement, and emphasized that respect “goes two ways.”
Other candidates argued training should be supplemented by an available parliamentarian (the city attorney) to call meetings back to order when needed. A number of participants said they supported formal MML training; in the second session several candidates said they had taken or would take MML courses.
Why it matters: Candidates tied decorum to the council’s ability to deliberate effectively on the city’s business. Several said better shared understanding of meeting procedures would reduce interruptions of public comment and help protect residents’ opportunity to criticize elected officials.
Ending: While free speech was uniformly defended in principle, candidates differed on whether Robert’s Rules should be applied strictly or adapted as a “living” guideline to meet the needs of the community; most supported mandatory or strongly encouraged training for newly elected members.
