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Resident calls mayor’s mailing divisive at Pepper Pike meeting; mayor urges political debate occur outside council chamber
Summary
At public comment, resident Manny Neff sharply criticized a letter distributed by the mayor that he said urged voters to oust council members and described it as divisive. The mayor responded that the council chamber is not the appropriate forum for campaign debate and directed the resident to other channels for political expression.
During audience comments Oct. 14, resident Manny Neff read from a letter he said had been distributed by the mayor and asked the council to condemn the mailing as an inappropriate, divisive use of communications tied to the mayor’s office.
Neff said the letter urged voters to ‘‘turn them out’’ and characterized it as an effort to influence upcoming elections; he described the content as "extremely, extremely negative, divisive, and politically incorrect." The mayor interrupted to say the council tries to keep election politics out of the council chamber and directed Neff to exercise political speech outside of the meeting forum (Facebook, letters, other channels). No formal council finding or disciplinary action followed; the mayor said it was not the proper time or place for a political debate.
Other residents raised related concerns about postings on the city website and communications tied to city channels. Council did not take formal action in response to the complaint during the meeting; members reminded the public and speakers that the chamber is not intended as a forum for campaign activity.
