Public Comment?
If elected, I will fight to protect free speech by increasing the public comment period from 2 minutes to 3 minutes, removing unnecessary barriers that prevent residents from speaking at Spartanburg City Council meetings. Residents should be able to sign up to speak by email, phone, voicemail, online, or in-person, with NO arbitrary deadlines. I would also like to explore how the city can implement a text message sign up option for residents to speak publicly during the public comment period.
The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech and the right of the people to petition their government. Spartanburg City Council should encourage free speech, NOT restrict it, and make it easier, NOT harder, for residents to have their voices heard.
Public comment should be a meaningful part of the decision-making process, where residents' concerns, ideas, and feedback help shape public policy. The voices of Spartanburg residents deserve to be heard, considered, and respected.
Below is Spartanburg City's current policy governing public comment at Spartanburg City Council meetings, a policy that I strongly oppose.
Source: City of Spartanburg Official Website
Below is Spartanburg City's webform.
Source: City of Spartanburg Official Website