Holyoke committee divided over rule letting councilors respond to public comment; motion tabled

The Charter and Rules Committee debated a Feb. 4 order that would allow any councilor named by a speaker during public comment to have up to two minutes to respond at the end of the public‑comment period. Councilors sharply divided over the proposal’s potential to preserve decorum or to produce back‑and‑forth exchanges that could extend meetings.

Councilor Meg McGrath Smith, joining by Zoom, warned that allowing post‑comment responses could break down the intentional separation between the public and the council: "When there is public comment, it's the one time that they get to speak. They're not allowed to speak unless we suspend the rules… I really am very anxious about this concept of… allowing the councilors to speak because I think it does then break down."

Supporters argued the response would be narrow and post‑comment only. Councilor Bacon said recent meetings featured lengthy, rule‑breaking exchanges and profanity and argued councilors should be able to respond when they are personally attacked: "Last night was a suspension of rules like none I've ever seen. We spent over a half an hour with two people speaking…" Bacon said, arguing the rule would be a limited opportunity to reply rather than a debate.

After extended discussion about enforcement, free‑speech constraints, and the risk of a 'Donnybrook' that the president could struggle to control, a motion to table the order passed. The committee asked that related orders be consolidated and reconsidered together.