BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- A Massena resident who has been a vocal critic of the Town Council spoke out against the supervisor silencing two speakers at a meeting in April.

Charlie Romigh told the board and Supervisor Steve O'Shaughnessy that there should be some sort of apology to Robert Elsner and David Romigh after O'Shaughnessy told them to stop speaking during a public comment period in April.

"The best way to resolve this injustice is to pass a resolution where the board would apologize ... perhaps taking the leadership role, Mr. O'Shaughnessy could apologize for his mistakes," Charles Romigh said.

Robert Elsner is a Republican candidate for the Town Council. David Romigh is Charles Romigh's son and has also been a staunch critic of the Town Council for their recent handling of Massena Memorial Hospital.

Charles Romigh also criticized the four councilors and town attorney Eric Gustafson for not stepping in.

"Nobody tried to intercede with this blatant violation of the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964," he said.

Elsner and Romigh had started criticizing O'Shaughnessy. Elsner was critical because of the supervisor's call for civility and then alleged O'Shaughnessy called him a "double-dipping leech" on social media and accused him of drawing a retirement payment while taking a salary as an administrator at MMH.

David Romigh began to talk about civility and was quickly told to stop speaking.

Shortly after the April incident, O'Shaughnessy said he stopped the two at the request of the other councilors.

It wasn't the first time the supervisor had quashed criticism.

In September, he stopped Gina Snyder while she tried to ask about the status of a project to replace signage welcoming visitors to town. The supervisor cut her off and told her public comment was for people "to say positive things about Massena." He later said he would not police whether citizens spoke about positive or negative topics.

The New York State Department of State’s Committee on Open Government opines that the town is not required to allow any public comments at meetings.

“Within the language of the Open Meetings Law, there is nothing that pertains to the right of those in attendance to speak or otherwise participate,” Committee on Open Government Executive Director Robert Freeman wrote in the advisory opinion posted at https://on.ny.gov/2OefSzZ. “Certainly a member of the public may speak or express opinions about meetings or about the conduct of public business before or after meetings to other persons. However, since neither the Open Meetings Law nor any other provision of which I am aware provides the public with the right to speak during meetings, I do not believe that a public body is required to permit the public to do so during meetings.”