Theron Sanders Sr.: Atwater council trying to silence residents

It appears some Atwater Council members are having difficulty with the concept of open, and inclusive government. Maybe some bedtime reading would be of value, specifically the U.S. Constitution, you know, the part about government by and for the people?

Since when does the city have the right to dictate what issues its citizens are allowed to address at council meetings? Atwater officials instruct speakers to restrict their comments solely to matters that fall under the “jurisdiction” of the city, not even bringing up questions concerning Castle Development Center, located outside the city limits. So much for freedom of speech!

There is nothing open about Atwater government when two council meetings per month are deemed an unnecessary use of its time and money. It’s not a waste; it’s an opportunity to shed light on city hall’s decisions. Atwater needs to begin conducting its business in an open, transparent way. Putting up roadblocks that reduce citizen participation in their government, deliberately or by oversight, is cause to replace city leaders with men and women who will uphold both the spirit and letter of the U.S. Constitution.

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Theron Sanders Sr.: Atwater council trying to silence residents."