Council President Gerry Visconti took a moment of personal privilege at the outset of Monday night’s meeting to address the topic of Council decorum during meetings.
“For the past several meetings, there’s been a trend in these council chambers where political posturing has gotten in the way of professionally addressing the issues that come before us. The unprofessionalism, the sarcasm, the interruptions, and the side conversations that take place – that’s gotten way out of control,†summarized Visconti.
The leader of the 11-member Council took responsibility for the lack of consistent decorum in the Chambers “and for that, I want to apologize to the residents of Revere.â€
“We have the honor of sitting in these seats because the residents have elected us to do a job,†said Visconti. “Sometimes we forget that we are here for the people and not the politics.â€
Visconti said he will begin to enforce rules that will limit councillors to three minutes when speaking on an issue. He added that City Council Clerk Ashley Melnik will manage the time limits.
“In closing, I ask that we all respect the decorum in these Chambers, and more important, we respect one another,†said Visconti.
