A Cranbury official is calling for the creation of guidelines members of the public can follow at Township Committee meetings, where a recent surge in attendance and participation have been less the orderly.
“Basically, we need to make sure people are not getting up and interrupting each other and just making random speeches and having the room well over capacity in a nonsafe manner,” Committeeman Daniel P. Mulligan III said on June 29. “We just need to come up with some basic guidelines and keep things moving along in the right way.”
Mulligan said the problem has been building and pointed to a meeting last month in which members of the public were talking and arguing out loud, with some people getting up and making impromptu speeches.
At a meeting focusing on the local first aid squad, residents on June 11 packed the room where the governing body meets, some even sat on the floor. The capacity of the room is 49 people, standing and sitting.
Mulligan said that in recent months, the governing body has faced topics that carry “a lot of passion” and meetings drew a larger than normal attendance. Although he said officials want more people at their meetings, Mulligan said there has to be a “level of order in the meetings at the same time.”
“We can’t let our passions take over,” he said.
At times, meetings have had big crowds, such as when affordable housing was an issue.
“But for the most part, the frequency is new this year (of) these large crowds,” Committeeman Jay Taylor said on June 29.
In the past, officials moved meetings to a larger venue ahead of time when they anticipated an agenda item would draw a crowd, Taylor said.
“But when people show up to talk about it at public comment, we can’t anticipate that,” he said. “So here’s where guidelines will help, because … we can’t see a large crowd and then legally move to the large group room. Guidelines will help people to understand why we’re asking people to leave the room.”
Mulligan said he is looking to the governing body to work on basic guidelines that even could be made as an addendum to meeting agendas. He said he would like the committee to discuss the issue at its meeting July 9.
“If people know how to participate the right way,” Mulligan said, “I think they’re even more willing to participate.”
Committeeman Michael J. Ferrante said on June 30 that he thought it made “sense to have some guidelines to keep the discussion respectful and productive.”
“Democracy isn’t always efficient,” he said. “We need to make sure people feel heard and respected foremost.”
