It seems you get a right to free speech everywhere in Greater Binghamton except inside Binghamton City Hall. Mayor Matt Ryan instituted a new “rule” when he took office more than two years ago that no one noticed until Ryan started enforcing it…THIS WEEK. The rule? No cameras or recording devices allowed unless “Simon says” (or in this case, “Ryan says”). The event that precipitated the enforcement of the policy? The group of 25 landlords who called a press conference inside City Hall to confront the mayor about his plan to raise their property taxes 80%. It seems the good mayor doesn’t like to be confronted, nor embarrassed, about his less-than-stellar lack of performance in office.

The “evil gang of landlords” invited local media to go with them to the mayor’s office to capture this impromptu exchange. The mayor immediately moved it outside because of his flim-flam “rule” about no cameras or tape recorders allowed inside City Hall unless previously approved by his office. Never mind it’s government property–owned by the people–and the rule is not because of safety or security. It’s pure bullying and manipulation by a miserable failure of a mayor who wants to suppress dissension with his whacked out leftist agenda.

May I point out the obvious? It’s fine for the good mayor to hoist the gay pride flag at City Hall (as he has done), and use local assemblies to call for the impeachment of Bush & Cheney (as he has done), and do any number of other idiotic things that have nothing to do with running a city–all in the name of free speech. But when the citizens of the City arrive at City Hall to make their voices heard about an extremely important and relevant issue, the mayor creates all sorts of hoops for them to jump through, in essence restricting and suppressing their free speech.

Typical liberal. Use “the people” to attain power–then crush “the people” once you have it.

Read more about it on the WBNG-TV Action News website: City Hall Enforces Camera Policy. (By the way, not a word of this has appeared in the Press & Sun-Bulletin so far.)

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