Thin-skinned city councilor
For now, the First Amendment still guarantees freedom of speech in America.
That could change under the Obama Administration.
In Tulsa, City Councilor Eric Gomez showed his thin skin when he tried to intimidate a neighborhood activist into stopping criticism of his work on the council.
Last October, Gomez instructed his attorney to send a nasty letter to Julie Hall, who is the spokeswoman for Who Owns Tulsa?, a neighborhood coalition of concerned citizens.
Gomez is all in favor a project to build apartments for the homeless and recovering drug addicts near Yale Avenue and Admiral Boulevard – near Hall’s neighborhood.
Approval for the project was rushed through the city council without meaningful notice to the neighbors that would be affected. Upset by the response by Gomez, Hall’s group quickly gathered enough signatures to recall Gomez from office.
City legal officials decided to throw out the petition even though it had sufficient signatures. Hall’s group decided not to fight that arbitrary decision in court but opted to replace Gomez and other councilors at the ballot box on Nov. 10.
Gomez apparently thinks it’s okay to disagree with his decisions, but just don’t tell anyone that you do. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Oklahoma Supreme Court disagree and confirm that robust public debate is good for society. Gomez probably agrees with that – unless it involves him, particularly in a recall. His letter not only threatened Hall but had a veiled threat for anyone that signed his ouster petition.
Hall, also an attorney, isn’t going to shut up. She’s too smart to be intimidated by the threat of a lawsuit. Gomez now reportedly says he won’t sue.
Here’s a mild victory for the First Amendment.