EDITORIAL: CITY COUNTY OBSERVER SOUNDS THE ALARM ABOUT THE RAMIFICATION G-2016-21.

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The City-County Observer’s staff was alerted by a passing comment made by Dr. H. Dan Adams at Monday’s City Council meeting that something “hush-hush” may be afoot.  When the Good Doctor asked his fellow Councilors to carefully read the material in their packets concerning Ordinance G-2016-21, which is sponsored by Councilmen Mosby, Weaver, and McGinn, our curiosity was piqued.  It was no small feat to track down the proposed ordinance, and after days we finally got a copy.  Attached below is the link of Ordinance G-2016-21 link for your review.

Ordinance G-2016-21

Please note that the words stricken from the original  ordinance have lines through them and the underlined words are the ones to be added to it.

Much of the rest of the proposed ordinance is devoted to putting numerous limitations on allowing citizens to ask questions or speak to Council concerning matters that come before it.  We believe this dances around the edges of infringing the First Amendment rights of Evansvillians.  We understand that there is a practical need to limit speaking time in instances when an item is controversial, but holding the option of refusing to hear the voice of the people being regulated is NOT in the best interest of the public.

We are concerned that transparency and accountability are being sacrificed to “efficiency and collaboration.” There are more and more items unanimously passed by Council without discussion and/or dissent.   The banning of obscene language, vulgar behavior, and use of signs and posters is understandable.  Muzzling the people who elected them to serve is NOT understandable.  We hope that the mainstream media will join us in calling for the restoration of citizen participation in government, now that we have sounded the alarm about the ramifications of G-2016-21.  We can’t wait to read  our readers comments concerning the amending of city ordinance G-2016-21.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. This ordinance is a reaction to the first City Council meeting of this year, when things got out of hand when the Council was giving Rev. Brooks the heave-ho. Mosby’s debut as Council President was ugly, and she isn’t going to forget about it. She’s going to take it out on the people who elected her, by cutting back the “regular guy’s” participation in government. Whether by State Statute or City Ordinance, the refusal of the Council to hear and respond to public input is wrong. Let’s wait for her and her co-sponsors to campaign on transparency and accountability.
    Wait, I forgot. McGinn won’t campaign. He’s so superior to other people, he’s doing us a favor by filling the First Ward seat and accepting the pay and benefits.

  2. This was not unexpected. Butterfly McGinn has officially signed on to the Mosby/Weaver buffoonery, making it a most embarrassing triad. I think Butterfly declared before the last election that he’d be voting for any project Winnecke wanted. These people basically announced that they’d be puppets for a fellow puppet, Lloyd Winnecke, before the election. Nothing hidden about their agenda, they announced it right up front. The voters got what they asked for. Censorship is part of the deal.

    It is not the least bit surprising that The Yellows would seek to have an ordinance to point to in their efforts to squelch the public’s voice. The clamor over the transparently preordained 9-0 votes doesn’t faze them. They are without the ability to feel shame.

    • That’s a harsh assessment, and it is absolutely, 110% correct! I do have enough faith in a couple of the Council members to hold out hope that it may not be 9-0, although I think the First Amendment will be rebuked by possibly a 7-2 vote to silence the public. I know Missy is a dog fan, and probably wouldn’t support a “Muzzle Ordinance that applies to them, but she surely loves the idea of muzzling the public!

  3. Nosby and Weasel are always the ones that start the crap. Is McGinn still drinking?

  4. Proof that the progressives who believe in a all-powerful government that controls everyone’s lives are not just in Washington – they’re everywhere and they could be democrats or republicans. When you’ve got power the First Amendment or for that batter the entire Bill of Rights doesn’t mean a damn thing.

  5. When we have current City Counsel Members declaring from there seat of power in the public meetings to the Evansville people setting in the audience. ” Your voice does not matter anymore “……We should be very alarmed and concerned !

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