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Jo Walsh Cobb removed after public comment; Mayor Haynam denies ticket-quota claims
Summary
A public commenter who refused to follow the three-minute rule was removed from the Nov. 12 Hiram council meeting. Mayor Anne Haynam publicly disputed the commenter's claims that the village enforces a "1-mile over" policy or a ticket quota to raise $100,000.
During public comment at the Nov. 12 Hiram Village Council meeting, resident Jo Walsh Cobb read a prepared statement and refused to adhere to the three-minute limit, repeatedly speaking over the mayor and other participants. The Mayor asked Officer James Clemens to remove Cobb from the council chambers after she continued to disrupt the meeting.
After the removal, Mayor Anne Haynam addressed several assertions Cobb had made in her statement, characterizing them as inaccurate. The mayor said the village does not maintain a "1-mile over" policy for traffic citations, there is no quota of tickets that must be written and there is no quota to raise $100,000.
The minutes record the incident as disruptive public comment followed by a police response; no formal disciplinary or further investigatory actions are recorded in the minutes. The council proceeded to other business after the removal, including department reports and votes on ordinances and resolutions.
