A heated argument over free speech and government communications dominated Wednesday night’s, May 6,Town of North HempsteadBoard meeting, where a proposal to hold a public hearing on a new ethics law regulating official town mailers and social media communications ultimately failed to move forward.
The dispute erupted during discussion of a proposed local law amending Chapter 16A of the town code, titled “Ethics, Code of,” which sought to establish regulations for official town communications and limit town-funded mailers to matters directly under town jurisdiction.
What began as a procedural vote to schedule a June public hearing quickly turned into a broader debate over constitutional rights, political messaging and the role of elected officials in communicating with residents.
North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena sharply criticized the proposal, arguing the measure would improperly limit speech by elected officials.
“So this item would restrict what we are allowed to say and publish on social media,” DeSena said. “There’s some serious concerns about restricting speech and having somebody use their judgment as to whether it’s speech that affects our jurisdiction.”
DeSena argued that local governments often need to communicate about issues beyond direct town control, citing regional transit announcements as an example.
“Very often, our job is to get information out to the public,” DeSena said. “The language of this bill would restrict our ability to speak. We are elected officials and we like to be able to speak.”
The disagreement intensified when another board member pushed back, emphasizing that the resolution sought only to schedule a hearing, not to immediately adopt the law.
“So this is to set a date for a hearing, right?” said Council Member Robert Troiano Jr., “Where we could discuss your thoughts, other council members’ response, and members of the greater North Hempstead community’s thoughts. And what you’re saying is, you want to restrict the speech of anybody to speak about, because you want to even have a hearing.”
“What I’m saying is that we should not be restricting each other’s speech,” DeSena said.
Source: LI Press
