Markey to Seek TV Blackout of Council Critics

Saying he was tired of the angry accusations and slanderous statements that have come to dominate the City Council’s circus-like public comment sessions, Councilman Mike Markey is proposing to ban the remarks from television.

With Councilwoman Elois Zeanah facing a recall election, and Mayor Judy Lazar and Councilman Andy Fox the targets of a recall signature drive, public comments at City Council meetings have strayed far from the affairs at hand, Markey said.

Either Tuesday or at the council’s July 29 meeting, he will propose blacking out the hourlong comment period from the city’s government channel until the November election has passed, he said Thursday.

“It’s gotten way out of hand,” Markey said, adding that he has been considering the proposal for the past year. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in the community, and they think it’s terrible that people are making all these derogatory statements about city staff and other people.

“Last week, the majority of the comments had to do with the recalls, not anything we were talking about,” he added. “People have a right to say what they want, but that doesn’t mean we have to put it on TV.”

Councilwoman Linda Parks slammed Markey’s blackout plan, saying censorship was one of the few things worse than the lies, accusations and innuendo all-too-frequently heard on Tuesday nights.

“What is going on in our City Council right now is that certain people are trying to silence opposing views,” Parks said. “That goes against the democratic process, and it’s wrong.

“As a parent, I don’t let my children watch public comments,” she added. “It’s just too ugly sometimes. But I think that is for individuals to decide, not the City Council. We should not be censoring what happens at our meetings from the public at home.”

Some of the more frequent council speakers accused Markey of attempting to abuse his power to censor their dissenting views. They said the source of the ugly behavior at the City Council meetings is the council itself.

“This is like the crazy people telling everyone else they are crazy,” said Toula Colovos, a Zeanah supporter who speaks about the recall on a weekly basis. “How is the minority supposed to express itself?”

Suzanne Duckett is one of the more accusatory--and eccentric--council speakers. She frequently brings crystal balls and other props to the podium to illustrate her view that Lazar, Fox and Markey are pawns of the development industry determined to marginalize Zeanah and Parks.

“I see more . . . development!” was her swami prediction at one meeting.

At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Duckett stunned even hardened city officials and government watchers when she escorted her daughter before the council and said, “I wanted her to see what dishonorable people look like. I wanted her to see what liars and cheats look like.”

On Thursday, Duckett defended her actions and ripped Markey’s proposal, saying her own actions, while extreme, were necessary to make her point.

“I don’t do it to entertain or to offend people,” she said. “I do it because I want people to listen to what I have to say.”

Fox, who characterized Duckett’s mother-daughter act as “really sad,” said he is glad Markey is proposing the blackout, because after several months of rancorous meetings he was thinking of raising the idea himself.

“I think the time has come to restore the decency and civility of the City Council,” Fox said. “It’s unfortunate, but this is something we need to do. To say it’s because I can’t take the heat or something like that is nonsense.

“I’m all for the public’s ability to come down and really trash us,” he added. “But it’s gotten so ugly. To start the meetings off on such a negative note is not good. I really believe that if we don’t televise it, these things won’t happen anymore.”

Not everyone agrees with Fox that a blackout is necessary, judging from some of the shoppers at the Promenade at Westlake on Thursday.

“I don’t think you can sweep those things under the rug,” said Jean Colesworthy. “That bickering and whining is part of the meeting.”

Dennis Bailey was even more succinct: “The politicians just don’t like getting their butts chewed out, that’s why they don’t want to televise that. That’s the best part of the meeting!”

“They don’t want people to see how embarrassing their meetings are, but they need to keep it on,” said Ron Mallut. “It’s like a soap opera.”