After mayor slams ‘dopey’ critics, NJ town plans new rules

🔴 Mayor calls some critics "a*******" who have "no life"

🔴 Town now wants to shorten time for residents to voice concerns

🔴 Local officials say it's to give everyone time to speak

SAYREVILLE — This Middlesex County borough is moving ahead with plans to cut back on time for people to talk during public meetings after the mayor called out residents who get too heated about local issues.

Mayor Kennedy O'Brien's eyebrow-raising comments came toward the end of a council meeting in late April that lasted longer than three hours. One major sticking point was a proposed Payment in Lieu of Taxes program for a major warehouse development project.

Around half of the meeting was taken up by public comment periods. Several residents spoke more than once; a few were incensed and argued with members of the council.

O'Brien responded bluntly.

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"You know, nobody sits up here so that a******* can come up and take punches at you. There were nine or 10 people tonight that were against the PILOT. We get an average of 11 people that watch this meeting. There are 45,000 people in Sayreville," said O'Brien.

One woman said at a later meeting that she was "seething" about the mayor's comments. The mayor did not respond to a request for comment last week.

Sayreville wants to limit public comment

It's not the first time a few angry residents have held up everyone else; some meetings have gone past midnight, according to O'Brien.

Council members introduced an ordinance last week to cut down on speaking time.

If it passes, each speaker will get three minutes at a time during public comment, down from five minutes now. They can come back for a second time if the borough allows it but everyone is capped at five minutes of speaking time total.

Some residents objected to the ordinance because it would limit their "rights and freedoms," reported MyCentralJersey.com.

O'Brien said residents will still have the chance to complain but if they have questions they need answered, council meetings aren't the place for them. Instead, they should contact Borough Hall during the week or visit the Sayreville website.

According to state law, speakers shouldn't expect council members to have a conversation with them. Public comment is for expressing concerns, not having a debate.

The ordinance will go up for a final vote on June 17.

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