Ease restrictions

There was a lot of talk at a recent Naperville City Council meeting about public participation and government transparency. However, one of the more interesting parts of the meeting was when the council voted to allow a speaker to make public comment after the 4 p.m. deadline. While the speaker's content was moving and I am pleased he had the opportunity to speak, it raises concerns about how many others may have refrained from engaging with the council publicly because they were unaware of this loophole.

In light of the vote by Mayor Wehrli and council members Bruzan Taylor, Leong, McBroom and Wilson to repeal the Naperville Ethics Ordinance, the purported justification for the 4 p.m. deadline for speaker signup is no longer relevant. A 4 p.m. deadline, which is three hours prior to the meeting, appears to be an unnecessary and arbitrary barrier to public participation.

Moreover, if there is a process to bypass this deadline that only a select few people know about, it creates a system of privileged access to the council and a public forum for some, while denying access for others.

I propose that the council allow public speakers to sign up to speak at meetings right up until the moment the meeting begins. However, if Naperville City Council insists on maintaining the 4 p.m. deadline for signup, the rules governing its enforcement or exceptions should be made public knowledge and applied equitably.

The City Council should be upfront, transparent and consistent with their public comment policies. Our goal should be to make it as easy as possible for people to participate in public meetings and engage with our elected officials, rather than creating unnecessary barriers.

Mary Gibson

Naperville