Resident raises Hotel 6 concerns and criticizes county's public-comment limits

Summary

During public comment a Middlesex County resident flagged an issue at a Hotel 6 in East Brunswick where the county is housing people and urged commissioners to revisit a policy he said restricts what the public may speak about; the moderator said the matter was not appropriate for discussion at that time.

Charlie Bridal used his public-comment time to raise two related issues: he said he wanted clarity on Resolutions 15-25 and 15-26 and separately asked that the record note "this situation at the Hotel 6 in East Brunswick." He said he wanted the hotel matter on the record and criticized the panel's approach to regulating what topics are permitted in public comment: "I just think you need to revisit your policy of having these meetings where you, police the public about what we can speak about," he said.

The moderator told Bridal the Hotel 6 matter was "not appropriate" for discussion during that portion of the meeting. Bridal said he would still put the concern on the record. The transcript does not include details about the Hotel 6 situation, such as the number of people housed there or which county program is involved.

The exchange reflects a public concern about county sheltering or placements at a private motel and a citizen's objection to limits the county applies to public comments. No staff report or follow-up action on the Hotel 6 concern is captured in the available transcript.