I was speaking with a reader of the TownUnderground tonight who was concerned about the recent Town Council meetings that seem a bit chilling in regard to free speech of residents. Unfortunately this is not new, below is a press release from the Institute for Free Speech stemming from comments made at Town Council Meetings in 2020.
New Hampshire Town Tells Councilors Not to Speak to the Press
Legislators have First Amendment rights, free speech group warns in letter to Londonderry Town Council
October 26, 2020 • By IFS Staff • Press Releases
Washington, DC – The Institute for Free Speech sent a letter to the Londonderry, New Hampshire Town Council late Friday warning that recent directions given to councilors may violate the First Amendment. Councilor Debra Paul contacted the Institute after the town attorney and other councilors instructed her not to comment on public matters on social media or in local newspapers.
“Being a council member does not diminish a person’s First Amendment right to speak about public affairs. The town council has no more authority to control a councilor’s speech than it does an average citizen’s,” said Institute for Free Speech Attorney Owen Yeates, one of the attorneys who signed the letter.
At a July town council hearing, Chair John Farrell cited “an element of distrust and instances of incivility that reflect poorly on all of us” before urging that “neither social media nor [a] local newspaper is a proper place for a councilor to express the councilor’s opinion about town issues. The only proper place is here, in the town council chambers, at a town council meeting, so if you have something to say, bring it here.”
The warning was particularly chilling to Ms. Paul, who is the publisher of the Londonderry Times, Nutfield News, and the Tri-Town Times. See the rest of the article HERE
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