Our View: Piqua's New Commission Rules Miss The Mark

The New Rules of Commission are too Restrictive to the Community

I am not exactly an art aficionado, however, I enjoy paintings made in the style of the American Realist movement, particularly Edward Hopper. In that same vein, one of my favorite paintings by Normal Rockwell is entitled Freedom of Speech. In the painting, a man by the name of Jim Edgerton is speaking to his Vermont neighbors in opposition to a plan to build a new school. Rockwell wasn’t exactly known as an American Realist painter, but his paintings definitely picked up on themes of American culture and life in the mid-20th Century.

Everything about this Rockwell painting speaks to me. This man, clearly younger than most of his other neighbors, appears to have a more blue-collar job than those that are donning ties and jackets. If we were experiencing this scene in real life, we might not give a second thought to what Mr. Edgerton in this important meeting. Yet, he is commanding the attention of many while he is speaking; the man in front of him is looking back intently listening to the man’s thoughts. And it’s clear the topic at hand is important. Look at the individuals in the room, it’s packed. Probably a little too packed for the likes of Hopper, who loved to depict the life of isolation, but that’s another story for another time.

In my mind, there is no better representation of how our government should work than Freedom of Speech. Residents of all walks of life, coming forward and providing their thoughts on what is being deliberated by those entrusted to serve the public.

Now, if Rockwell was here in the 21st Century and tried to depict a resident speaking to local government, Rockwell couldn’t paint this picture, especially if he was looking at the City of Piqua.

What Happened in Piqua Last Night

Last Night, the City of Piqua adopted a new set of rules for how their city commission meetings will be run. These new rules represent a significant shift in how public participation is managed compared to the current rules. On the face, these changes will have a chilling effect on citizen engagement.

There is no doubt that the new rules provide a more detailed and structured approach to conducting commission meetings. This increased structure may lead to more efficient meetings but could also result in a more rigid and less flexible environment for public participation.

One of the most notable changes is the separation of public comment into two distinct periods. Under the current rules, public comments are allowed during the discussion of ordinances and resolutions, as well as in an open forum at the end of the meeting. The new rules, however, restrict public comment on agenda items to a specific time after the agenda is approved but before the commission's deliberation. This change potentially limits the public's ability to respond to the commission's discussion in real-time.

Additionally, the new rules introduce a separate "Non-Agenda Public Comment" session that may occur after the regular business meeting adjourns, at the commission's discretion. This session is subject to strict time constraints, not beginning after 9 p.m. and not continuing past 9 p.m. While this provides a dedicated time for public input, it also means that such comments are separated from the main business meeting, potentially reducing their impact on decision-making.

The new rules also introduce more stringent requirements for who can participate in public comment sessions. While the current rules do not explicitly limit who can speak, the new rules restrict non-agenda public comments to residents, property owners, or business owners within the Piqua city limits. This change could significantly reduce the diversity of voices heard at commission meetings, potentially excluding individuals who may be affected by city decisions but do not meet these criteria. Having an out-of-towner come to speak is not an unheard occurrence. For example, every election season, candidates often come to speak to such city councils to introduce themselves. On the face of the new rules, if a candidate doesn’t live in the community, they can’t speak at these meetings.

Both sets of rules maintain a five-minute limit per person for public comments. However, the new rules eliminate the possibility of requesting additional time, which was previously at the Mayor's discretion. Furthermore, the new rules explicitly state that no person may speak more than once during any non-agenda public comment session, whereas the current rules allow for this possibility at the Mayor's discretion. These changes could limit the depth and breadth of public input, particularly on complex or contentious issues.

The new rules provide a more extensive list of prohibited behaviors during meetings, including specific mentions of obscene comments, physically threatening remarks, profanity, racist epithets, and disruptive conduct. While these additions may help maintain order, they also give the Mayor or presiding officer more power to restrict speech that could be deemed inappropriate.

Also, the new rules also introduce a formal process for requesting to speak, requiring individuals to complete a public comment request card. This procedure, while potentially more organized, could intimidate some citizens or create a barrier for spontaneous participation.

Under the current rules, commissioners have the opportunity to ask questions of department heads and the City Manager regarding ordinances or resolutions, with public comment following. The new rules reverse this order, with public comment occurring before commission deliberation. This change could limit the public's ability to respond to specific points raised by commissioners or staff during discussions.

The current rules allow any commissioner to motion for adjournment during open forum if they believe the public comment session no longer serves the public's interest. This provision is not explicitly included in the new rules, potentially removing a tool for managing prolonged or unproductive comment sessions.

Notably, the new rules state that the clerk of the commission is not obligated to keep minutes of the non-agenda public comment session. This could reduce transparency and make it more difficult for citizens to track issues raised during these sessions.

While these new rules may streamline meetings and provide clearer guidelines for conduct, they also risk creating a more restrictive environment for public participation. This shift could potentially reduce the diversity of voices heard in local government decision-making and limit the opportunity for robust public dialogue on important community issues.

Restricting Rights is Rarely Popular or Necessary

On their face, these rules seem silly. Now, I have seen my fair share of Piqua City Commission meetings and there is no doubt, the behavior of some residents at these meetings isn’t the best. There have been plenty of meetings where I would not feel comfortable taking my own children, based on the language of some of the residents.

But, it appears that at a time when the City Commission saw a small nail sticking out of the board, the commissioners felt using a sledgehammer, when a small claw hammer could have done the job of putting the nail back in line.

Residents, voters and citizens rightly bristle when our rights, whether explicitly stated in documents as the United States Constitution, or implicitly represented through a Normal Rockwell painting are infringed and lessened. If you don’t believe me, one doesn’t have to look farther than Issue 1 and Issue 2 that Ohio voters approved last year by healthy margins; time and time again, people are not going to gently go along with ideas to restrict their rights.

Public meetings are a solemn event and need to be treated as such, by everyone, the elected officials, the staff and yes, even the audience. These public meetings are not to showcase the breakneck speed and efficiency in which an elected body of officials can go through their votes. By the same token, these meetings aren’t gatherings to subject elected and appointed officials to a verbal beat down.

There is a balance to be had. The new rules of the Piqua City Commission does not meet that balance.

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