Mayoral Comments About Procedure at Public Comment Sessions

In the light of our last Public Comment Sessions and with the feedback that I received from citizens and
upon the advice of City Attorney, Chuck Watts, I have decided as Mayor to further clarify our procedures.
I hope this will help to focus these sessions on topics that are relevant for this forum. To that end, I want
to identify three areas in particular that will be deemed out of order for this forum. I also want to mention
a general tenet of behavior that is part of the code of conduct for all of our boards and commissions and
will be respected here. My purpose in doing this is to help focus these Public Comment sessions on
topics appropriate for this forum.

1) Comments primarily focused upon the performance of particular city employee that I deem to be an
“attack” will not be entertained in this forum and will be ruled out of order. There is a process for
performance reviews and members of the public are free to provide any such commentary, for
example, to the City’s Human Resources department or Police Review Board where that information
might be appropriately addressed. This council has the authority to hire and fire a very limited set of
city employees and all employees have a right to have their performance reviews handled
confidentially. So the place for such commentary would be in the appropriate office of the city staff.
2) Comments primarily focused upon matters that are in litigation will not be entertained in this forum.
Litigation occurs in the courts and I will rule out of order comments by individuals that appear to be
intended to impact the litigation process through public comment during our meetings. This is not an
alternative forum for promoting any particular citizen’s view of matters that are being addressed in
court.
3) Comments that seem to be intended to incite unlawful behavior within this room or outside this room
will be deemed to be out of order. This is a forum for this council to hear from the Citizens of
Greensboro about matters of concern that can be addressed by the council.

Of course, the City of Greensboro is committed to promoting an environment that is free of

discrimination, bias, and bullying. Thus, harassment, words, jokes, actions or comments based on an
individual’s sex, sexual preference, race, ethnic background, age, religion, physical condition or other
legally protected characteristic will not be tolerated.

Conduct or actions which I deem to violate any of these requirements will be grounds for
immediate removal from the room.