http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_16178134
NOVATO LAWYER Jerome Ghigliotti has every right to voice his frustration over the Novato City Council's decision to hold his anti-illegal immigration initiative in legal limbo.
But if he is going to use a City Council session as the venue in which to air his complaints, he needs to respect and abide by reasonable rules of order and decorum used during the meetings.
Ghigliotti was arrested at the Sept. 14 meeting after he rose to address the council during "open time," a period during every council meeting when people can step forward and voice their opinion.
In Novato, because its council meetings are televised, it is not uncommon for people to announce upcoming community events during open time. Others are more pointed than polite when they speak on issues.
Most, however, abide by the rules that have been set. They respectfully address the council and hold their comments to within the time limit, which often is two to three minutes.
Ghigliotti is one of the leaders of an initiative that would require the city to force its contractors to run their workers through E-Verify, an Internet program used to verify that workers are U.S. citizens or have the proper immigration documentation.
Backers of the initiative say E-Verify is an easy way to assure that public funds are not being used to hire illegal immigrants, especially at a time when citizens need the work.
Ghigliotti and others collected enough signatures to require the city to hold an election on their initiative. The council also could adopt the initiative and avoid an election. But what the council has done is follow its attorney's advice and wait until constitutional questions about the city adopting its own immigration policy are answered.
That leaves the initiative in limbo.
Ghigliotti wanted the initiative on November's ballot, but county Registrar of Voters Elaine Ginnold says that when an election is held is up to the city.
Ghigliotti has a fair gripe. He has the right to stand up at council meetings and express his opinion during open time. He argues that the council is ignoring all those residents who signed the initiative.
But he's not entitled to disrupt a public meeting or ignore its rules. Mayor Jeanne MacLeamy's request that Ghigliotti face and address the council rather than turn his back on members as he spoke was fair, reasonable and respectful.
When he refused, she called a recess in the meeting. Ghigliotti kept speaking, even after he was warned by Police Chief Joseph Kreins that he would be arrested for disrupting a public meeting.
Kreins followed through with his warning after Ghigliotti refused to comply.
Ghigliotti was removed from the meeting and was cited for disturbing a public meeting.
But he's not banned from attending future meetings and expressing his opinion.
Perhaps next time he will respect the rules everyone else is asked to follow.
Rather than publicity-seeking antics, Ghigliotti and supporters of the E-Verify initiative should focus on resolving constitutional issues that so far have kept it off the ballot.
I especially like the 'Perhaps next time he will respect the rules everyone else is asked to follow"-bit, pretty ironic I'd say.
He addresses the audience with his back turned-away from the City Council Members, and arrested for not following the "Robinson rule", by a City Coucil the refuses to follow federal laws in regard to hiring illegal aliens for City Contractors.
Marin's too weird.