Provenzano: Deanna Should Have Been Allowed To Speak

It was reported on Monday that Deanna Dalla-Vicenza, a concerned and informed Sault resident, requested the opportunity to speak about the PUC water quality issues at the September 29th, 2014, council meeting. She made the request prior to the council agenda being set. Notwithstanding, Mrs. Dalla-Vicenza was not allowed onto the council agenda and was not given the opportunity to speak to council.

I am advised that the reason Ms. Dalla Vicenza was given for the denial of her request was that the PUC water quality issue is an election issue and as such it would not be appropriate to let Ms. Dalla-Vicenza speak to it at Council.

Ms. Dalla-Vicenza should have been allowed to speak, and I believe that the reported reason given for the refusal is insincere.

The fact that we are in a municipal election did not stop the city’s Chief Administrative Officer and Mayor Amaroso from making a funding announcement together on September 26th, 2014.

The fact that we are in a municipal election did not stop the Mayor and council from passing a resolution supporting that funding announcement on September 29th, 2014, after the announcement had already been made. This motion was passed at the same meeting that Ms. Dalla-Vicenza was refused the opportunity to speak.

Economic Development is no less an election issue than water quality. It is inconsistent to refuse a concerned resident the opportunity to speak to an important local issue on the basis that an election is going on, while announcing news on another important local issue during the same election.

If I am elected Mayor on October 27th, 2014, I will make sure that Ms. Dalla-Vincenza has the opportunity to speak, if she would still like that opportunity. She has a right to be heard and elected leaders have a responsibility to listen.

SaultOnline.com was first to report on Denna’s letter to council, to read it go to https://saultonline.com/2014/09/deanna-wasnt-allowed-to-talk-about-this/