Councilman Pucciarelli attacks Marcia Ringel for merely exercising her civil right to speak
November 21,2014
Marcia Ringel
On July 21, 2014, after Councilman Pucciarelli had raked me over the coals (and before he did more of it) for my comments on the way the election of mayor and deputy mayor had been arranged with the help of Skype, the mayor took over. In one of his comments he used phrasing identical to what is in his email message posted here.
I was startled, considering that I hadn’t used profanity, approached the dais, even raised my voice–merely exercised my civil right to speak. Haul in the clergy to teach us how to behave? It sounded canned. Five months later, we see that it was.
Next Monday night’s meeting has clearly been in the works since at least early summer. Those words were on the tip of his tongue in July.
[about 16 minutes in:] https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/49862179
Is the intention to use the clergy’s comments as an excuse for rewriting ordinances on public deportment at meetings? Is it appropriate in the first place to introduce clergy to discussions of public issues in such a setting? No.
Should this not be a real public meeting with appropriate public notice–not a private meeting in which the names of attendees are checked in advance? What is happening here? These sort-of-private, sort-of-public meetings on important topics that legally squeak through because fewer than three council members are present are an insult to residents and to the rules of governance. All council members SHOULD be present to hear such things if they are heard at all.
At a council meeting on July 21, 2013, after the Village had refused to buy a Mobi-Chair for Graydon after years of empty talk about making Graydon handicap accessible, I suggested from the podium that the mayor resign, with an apology, from Access for All. I said I could see an invisible “H” on the wall behind the dais, and it stood for Hypocrisy.
[about 10 minutes in:] https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/36140109
That H is getting bigger.
Amen Marciia!
You are so right, these hypocrites have to continue to be exposed for what they are.
Relax readers this is the wild turkey season and you find them on all our Village streets.
If they could talk too — and not just gobble and make noise.
Yes Dom the only resaon they are nice to you is because your old and not of sound mind
When I received the email from the Mayor about tonight’s meetings, I didn’t have a clear idea where this came from. I have been at many hospital meetings and a few downtown ones. The meetings were at time contentious but never crossed the line.
But looking back at the 7/9 council meting, I can see one reason for this type of discussion. Marcia’s statement went beyond questions and were at times narrative and drawing conclusions in absence of fact, but I would not say they were “over the top”.
I wish I could say the same for some members of the dais. As our leaders, they set the tone and set the examples, and did so poorly.
Got the date wrong–it was last July 9, at the first council meeting after the new council members had been sworn in.
As I noted in a comment posted under the original, above, if suing the town for the way the mayor and deputy mayor had been “reelected” had not had a five-figure price tag, I would have gone for it and we might possibly have a different mayor with a very different attitude and demeanor (that is, civil and respectful).
For the May 8 Village Council election,
the Preserve Graydon Coalition endorses:
Keith Killion
Jane Shinozuka
Albert Pucciarelli ( You put him office)