Public commenter objects to residency declaration requirement, cites free‑speech concerns

Pam Kaiser used her public‑comment time to challenge the council’s instruction that members of the public state whether they are a town resident or not. "Middlebury is my town," she said, and added that the rule requiring speakers to use the specific words "resident or nonresident" was "unreasonable and potentially arbitrary." She cited constitutional principles, arguing that "free speech and redressing grievances are rights, not privileges."

Council members responded that the residency question is intended to give the town context about who is requesting changes and to avoid the situation where a large outside group could pressure town decisions without the council knowing who those people represent. The exchange ended with staff and council reaffirming the rule and asking Ms. Kaiser to continue; no policy change was made during the meeting.

The town manager later thanked volunteers and local businesses for community responses to recent outages — remarks Ms. Kaiser had praised in her comment.