Committee pledges to tighten member conduct rules after heated remarks

Committee members told colleagues they will work between sessions to modify the board's rules to create a higher level of discourse, both for remarks made during meetings and for comments made outside official sessions.

"We are committed when we, approve our rules next session, between now and then to be working on how we can modify our rules to create a higher level of discourse," President Green said. Several members said conduct standards should apply consistently across members and that language that threatens or demeans colleagues cannot be tolerated.

Members also cited an administrative regulation (No. 142) that disciplines threats in civil service as context for treating violent rhetoric as unacceptable behavior, and they asked staff to return proposals to the board for consideration.