Village of Fredonia Suspends Public Comments at Board Meetings

The Village of Fredonia has officially suspended the ability of members of the public to speak during meetings of its Board of Trustees until further notice. On Monday, trustees voted 2-2 on a measure for that suspension, with Mayor Mike Ferguson casting the tiebreaking vote. Ben Brauchler and Paul Wandel voted in favor of the suspension, while LeeAnn Lazarony and Christine Cruz-Keefe opposed it. Village resident Andrew Ludwig blasted Ferguson and his supporters in correspondence that was read by Deputy Clerk Erlyssa LeBeau prior to the vote...

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While the Village Board does have the right to remove the public comment period, Ludwig said "that doesn't make it right." He said there should be at least one unrestricted public comment period during every board meeting...

Erlyssa LeBeau: should be at least one comment period

Ludwig added that if the board continues to restrict public comments, the "Save Our Reservoir" group -- which he is a part of -- will hold its own public comment session after meetings.

While the length of the suspension was not specified in the resolution, Ferguson has told WDOE News that it will be for three months. The request to suspend public comments was originally made by then-Trustee Jon Espersen following a board meeting on May 11th, when Fredonia Police were called to a "scuffle" outside the trustees room. 

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