Cicero — Cicero residents with something to say will have to speak at the end of town board meetings or forever hold their peace.
The town board voted 4-0 in Councilor Mike Becallo’s absence Dec. 9 to rescind the June 11, 2014, motion allowing public input for each agenda item.
“Sometimes, it worked well; most of the time, it didn’t work well,” Supervisor Jessica Zambrano said of the 2014 public input policy.
Zambrano said she moved the resolution to eliminate comments on individual items because some residents were using the opportunity to be “distracting, confrontational, grandstanding” or to make “gotcha” comments to the board.
“The objective of the town board meetings is for the town board to conduct business,” Zambrano said. “There is no obligation to [allow] public discussion.”
Zambrano cited New York state’s Town Law, Article 4, Section 63, which states, “The board may determine the rules of its procedure.” According to the state Committee on Open Government, “The law is silent with respect to public participation. While it has been advised that a public body does not have to allow the public to speak, many choose to permit public participation. In those instances, it has been advised that a public body must treat all persons in a like manner. For instance, the public body can adopt reasonable rules to ensure fairness; i.e., allowing those who want to speak a specific period of time to express their views.”
Aside from Zambrano’s comments, there was no discussion before the vote.
Cicero Citizens Police Academy graduates 18
The inaugural class of the Cicero Citizens Police Academy, graduated at the Dec. 9 town board meeting. The 15-week class was held from Sept. 15 through Dec. 1 at NOPL at Cicero and covered a variety of topics, including the history and organizational structure of local law enforcement, animal cruelty and traffic law.
continued — Eighteen students completed the course and received certificates from Cicero Police Chief Joe Snell and Mike O’Neill, CCPA coordinator and a member of the Volunteers in Police Services program. O’Neill, a 32-year veteran police officer who served in Chesapeake, Virginia, was honored for his work in coordinating the CCPA.
The next CCPA will begin March 15, 2016. To register, pick up an application at the Cicero Police Department or call 699-3677, extension 20, to have one mailed to you. To be eligible to participate, you must be a resident of the town of Cicero, be at least 21 years old and have no felony convictions or outstanding warrants. There will be a local background check for all applicants.
