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Sammamish council adds decorum language to rules after debate over public comment limits
Summary
The Sammamish City Council voted to add language to its rules barring personal attacks, obscene language, derogatory remarks and disruptive behavior during meetings after a contentious debate about First Amendment limits and enforcement. Public commenters warned the change could chill criticism.
The Sammamish City Council voted to add language to its rules of procedure intended to bar personal attacks, obscene language, derogatory remarks and disruptive behavior by speakers and attendees during meetings.
Council member Pamela Stewart moved the change, citing guidance from the Municipal Research and Services Center and saying consistent enforcement avoids First Amendment issues: "as long as the rules are clear and they are enforced, consistently, then it is not a violation, of of anyone's First Amendment rights." The motion was seconded and the council carried the amendment, recorded in the meeting transcript as carried (vote tally and individual names for that vote are not fully consistently recorded in the transcript).
The change came during a broader staff-led review of a redlined version of the city’s council rules presented by Deputy City Manager Rachel Bianchi, who walked the council through proposed edits to sections addressing council member roles, committee language, and enforcement steps. Council members asked staff and legal counsel to clarify overlapping language in sections 2.9.1 and 3.4.7 about consequences and to correct typographical errors identified by residents.
The proposal triggered pushback from some public commenters at both the start and end of the meeting. Heather Rucker Rains, a 20-year Sammamish resident, said the decorum edits risked silencing legitimate criticism of elected officials: "What exactly qualifies as a personal attack versus legitimate criticism of elected officials? And more importantly, who decides where that line is drawn?" She warned the council that selective application of decorum rules could chill civic participation and invite litigation.
Deputy Mayor Debbie Treen and others said they supported clarifying the rules but emphasized the need for staff and legal input. Mayor Josh Amato and several council members framed the change as providing clearer direction to presiding officers so they can address disruptive behavior in the moment; the mayor asked staff to bring any legal clarifications back to the council.
What happens next: staff and legal counsel will incorporate the council’s direction into the redline and return with proposed wording for final adoption, as part of the broader rules review the council began at this study session.
