Dear editor:
Government belongs to the people, not an elected official.
Recently on the Cowboy State Daily Show, the Mayor of Gillette criticized a state senator for speaking during public comment at a city council meeting.
The mayor suggested the senator should have called him privately instead of “grandstanding” in what he referred to as “my meeting.”
That statement, “my meeting,” from the mayor should alarm every citizen who believes in open government.
A city council meeting is not the mayor’s meeting. It is not the council’s meeting.
It is the people’s meeting. Public comment exists for a reason.
It is one of the most basic mechanisms by which citizens can address their elected officials directly.
For a city or town, it allows residents to voice concerns, raise questions, voice support, and yes, sometimes challenge those in power in the open, where everyone can hear the exchange and reflect upon it.
That kind of access and transparency is not a flaw in our system. It is a fundamental cornerstone of it. Suggesting that a citizen, even a state legislator, should avoid speaking publicly and instead call privately reflects a profound misunderstanding of public service.
No citizen should feel that they need to ask permission, schedule a private conversation, or quietly approach an elected official behind closed doors just to be heard. The entire point of public comment is that it happens in public whether those comments be informational, supportive, or critical.
The additional accusation of “grandstanding” is equally dangerous.
Public participation in government is not grandstanding – even when we may not appreciate what was said. It is civic engagement.
If anything, discouraging citizens from speaking openly risks creating exactly the kind of closed-door government that public comment prevents.
Serving in public office carries responsibilities. Among them is the obligation to listen, not only to supporters, but also to the harshest of critics, skeptics, and concerned citizens.
Hearing viewpoints that challenge one’s position is not an inconvenience. It is part of the job one signs up for when running for any office.
In a healthy republic, elected officials welcome public engagement, even when it is uncomfortable. A citizen stepping up to the microphone should never be treated as an irritant or dismissed as “grandstanding.”
When a mayor refers to a public meeting as “my meeting,” it reveals a deeply troubling view of what holding public office and serving the public actually means.
We must remember, government does not belong to those holding office – it belongs to the people.
The entire premise of an open and publicly advertised city council meeting is so that the people can exercise their ownership in their community openly, directly, and without needing permission.
Respectfully, government works best when leaders remember a simple truth: A government chamber does not belong to the officials at the dais.
It belongs to the citizens sitting in the audience, those who are laboring at work, and those at home gathered around their dining tables.
Sincerely,
Norberto Orellana, Gillette
