At each meeting of the Council the Mayor mentions the fact that “We have rules.” He does not elaborate that the rules are for the citizens not for the Councilors.

At the September 11, 2006 Council meeting there were several disruptions in violation of the Council rules. The meeting did not begin until 6:05 PM, 35 minutes late. The Mayor explained that was due to the late arrival of the Mayor of Gaeta, Italy, (a sister city) who was in town to celebrate Saints Cosma and Damian.

When the meeting was convened the rules were immediately suspended to permit Councilors to bloviate on how glad they were to have the Mayor of Gaeta in town. After that the City’s Nuclear War Director celebrated a gift from El Salvador, a quilt with a story sewn into it.

None of the Councilors praised the Nuclear War Director for preventing nuclear war in Cambridge, in El Salvador and Italy too. None of the guests thanked the Nuclear War Director for her efforts and her successes keeping the peace. The Nuclear War Commissioner did not say if she has plans to visit Iran or Iraq.

When the Council finally got around to conducting Council business it was one hour and 45 minutes late. Public comment began. James Williamson, who ran for City Council said, “I would like to speak to two . . . the Community Preservation Act and also uh 9/11. Um I don’t know if everybody here by now knows but um there’s quite a ... to me uh poignant uh tribute to 9 on the occasion of the American version of 9/11 um which is that one of these hacks at MIT. There is a uh complete large uh MIT fire truck sitting on top of the dome at MIT as of early this morning. And I take this as a rather moving tribute to especially to the members of the uh New York City Fire Department who were caught in the towers that day, uh among others. And I like to think of it . . . of course this is my own embellishment but I like to think of it as a way of saying we need to learn how put the fires out not how to start more uh . . .

Reeves: [Interrupting contrary to Council rules] Mr. Williamson, are you speaking to the Community Preservation Act?

Williamson: Yea that’s coming. But first I wanted to . . .

Reeves: That’s, that’s the purpose of the . . . You have to speak about something that is on the agenda.

Williamson: Right, I understand that.

Reeves: So please do that.

Williamson: But I thought that 9/11, is 9/11 not on the agenda? I thought it was.

Reeves: Not as a general statement.

Williamson: And also I thought in any case that this was something of, of sufficient interest that uh . . .

Reeves: We don’t do sufficient interest. We have rules. And the rule is that you must speak to something on the agenda.

Williamson: Oh OK ... OK.

Reeves: So please speak to that. The Community Preservation Act is on the agenda, so please do that.

Williamson: So 9/11 isn’t on the agenda?

Reeves: Not as a general topic it’s not on the agenda.

Williamson: Ok well all right then, in that case. One of the rules as I understand it is that out of respect for the public the meetings and specifically the public comment will begin at 5:30, and it didn’t begin until . . .

Reeves: In your absence an apology was made for that and an explanation was made for that.

Williamson: . . . almost 6:30, 7:00 O’clock. So if we’re gonna ... I’d just like to ask you if you’re gonna talk if you’re gonna ...

Reeves: It is not a dialogue time.

Williamson: Well it is ... if you’re gonna, if you’re gonna preach to me about rules ...

Reeves: [pounding the gavel] Mr. Williamson ...

Williamson: I would like to ask you to adhere to rules as well.

Reeves: You are out of order. You are out order, Mr. Williamson.

Williamson: well ...

Reeves: Well you are out of order. All right now. If you want to talk about the Community Preservation Act you have a minute left to do it.

Williamson: OK. Thanks for disrespecting the public. Uh On, I was gonna say something that I thought would be of great interest to people about the success of Cambridge’s uh interoperable radio system but I guess that’s out of order on 9/11.

Reeves: That’s out of order. That’s correct.

[Williamson went on to speak about the Community Preservation Act.] The problem with this interruption by the Mayor is that 9/11 was on the day’s agenda. Resolution # 26 sponsored by the Mayor himself, stated, “Acknowledgement of the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy.” So Mr. Williamson’s comments were in order. The Mayor was out of order.