Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
New Britain council adopts censure of Alderman Robert Smedley after heated public comment and debate
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and council debate over process and precedent, the New Britain Common Council voted 8–3 on March 11 to adopt a resolution formally censuring Alderman Robert Smedley for a social‑media post; the measure’s legality and procedural fairness were contested during the meeting.
The New Britain Common Council voted 8–3 on March 11 to adopt a resolution censuring Alderman Robert Robert Smedley for a Facebook post that residents and fellow council members said damaged the reputations of people named in the message.
The vote followed more than three hours of public participation in which dozens of residents urged opposing outcomes. “Please do the same for yourself,” said Sharon Roderick Barrett, addressing Smedley directly and urging the council to consider a human resources outreach instead of punitive action. Several speakers, including Tony Kane, told the council they opposed censure on legal or procedural grounds. “This meeting is illegal as all the others were that were noticed as special meetings,” said Paul Edwards, who identified himself in the record as counsel for Alderman…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
