“It is my opinion that this is 100 percent politically motivated.”
That was the message from Mayor Randy Brown at the March 3 meeting of the Evesham Township Council during which Brown, his fellow councilmembers and members of the public continued the ongoing discussion as to how council should respond to questions from the public at meetings, or if it will respond at all.
The issue dates back to the first meeting of February when several residents voiced concerns that council was not answering questions as residents asked them during public comment.
At that same meeting, township solicitor John Gillespie informed both council and the public that while members of the public were legally allowed to make any comment or ask any question during public comment, mayor and council are not required by state or municipal law to respond immediately or at all.
Since that time, council has not engaged in dialogue with the public during the public comment portion of the meeting, instead saving any responses for the council comment portion of meetings after public comment has closed.
Brown, a Republican, stated his belief that since December, a majority of the residents who have raised concerns about not getting answers to questions at meetings have been political opponents.
Brown specifically named residents Kenneth Mills, who Brown said has always supported Brown’s opponents, former Evesham Township School Board member Rosemary Bernardi, who Brown said was politically liberal, Sharyn Pertnoy-Schmidt, whose husband ran against Brown as a Democrat in the 2010 mayoral elections, Phil Warren, chair of the Evesham Township Democratic Committee and who ran as a Democrat in the 2014 council race and lost, and former Lenape Regional High School District BOE member Joanne Sanferarro, whose opponent Brown supported in the 2014 election.
Brown went on to say residents speak through elections, not through those who have lost elections.
Brown also echoed comments from other members of council, questioning the journalistic integrity of several media outlets for recently running stories and editorials about council either banning public comments altogether or never answering questions, even after or outside meetings.
“There’s not a time and place that I’m not out there, that I’m not interacting with our residents,” Brown said. “I take offense to anyone that says we don’t answer questions, because my entire life as mayor has been answering comments, questions and concerns.”
Warren had earlier voiced opposition to Brown’s line of thinking, and said Brown’s constituents weren’t just friends, neighbors or residents Brown sees in everyday life.
“I’m not going to wait outside of your church or your business and hunt you down. I don’t think that’s appropriate, and there are others like me,” Warren said. “I think that public comment needs to be understood that is as legitimate a form for asking questions and receiving answers at that time as emailing, calling or speaking to you in public.”
Mills said he asked a question at meeting in December and was yelled at by the mayor, and questioned why Brown and council can’t simply answer questions.
He theorized the policy of not answering questions during public comment was because of the potential for Brown to lose his temper.
“He goes off on a rant, and in order to protect him, maybe Mr. Gillespie has come up with a solution, but I don’t think it is a good solution,” Mills said.
Deputy Mayor Bob DiEnna said there were differences between comments and questions and between discussion, dialogue and open debate, but no one in the township was trying to hide anything.
“Make no mistake about it, there’s no one on this dais, and none of the township professionals, wish to sneak around and hide and confuse or obfuscate or deny information to the public, that’s not so,” DiEnna said.
