BY MARK SCHUMANN

What some may remember most about Craig Fletcher’s previous term as mayor was the heavy-handedness with which he ran council meetings, often cutting off public comment, loosing his temper, even belittling members of the public who dared challenge him.

Privately, Fletcher will tell you he has calmed down and relaxed, but there was little if any evidence of a softening on his part last night when he cut off comments by resident Phyllis Frey, sparred with Brian Heady, and unilaterally decreed that challenging the accuracy of statements made by Council members will be considered an inappropriate subject for public comment.

Try as I might, I cannot understand the danger Phyllis Frey fears in the Seven/50 planning effort, from which she and other recently were able to persuade both the City Council and the County Commission to withdraw.  I don’t accept some of the assertions Frey believes to be fact, and I don’t agree with her interpretation of the groups motivations and objectives.  In fact, I plan to follow the Seven/50 summit tomorrow via webcast.

But just because I strongly disagree with Frey about the merits of long-term regional planning and sustainability initiatives, doesn’t mean I think she is being disingenuous, or that it would be right to treat her disrespectfully.

When Councilwoman Tracy Carroll cast her lone discenting vote against a motion to withdraw from the Seven/50 planning group, she unfortunately could not do so without making disparaging remarks about some of Seven/50 critics, including Frey.

Yesterday evening, Frey addressed the Council, hoping to correct for the public record some of Carroll’s earlier comments.  Fletcher wouldn’t have it.

For those interested to know what phyllis Frey would have said if she had not been muzzled by Mayor Fletcher and forced to sit down, her prepared remarks follow:

I have follow-up public comment regarding the January 8^th meeting as to the agenda item at that meeting which was “Seven 50.” We realize it had been a consent agenda item and thankfully it was revisited. We thank you for your carefully considered decision to vote it down.

Groups like “Seven 50” under “Sustainable Communities” will reappear again with other warm and fuzzy-sounding names such as I.C.L.E.I., International Council on Environmental Initiatives, the Wildland Project, The League of Cities, Florida Forever and others, but this time I am sure we will be able to recognize them for what they are and make our careful choices to protect our local community. Thank you.

I also have four corrections to comments made at that Jan. 8^th meeting for the Public Record as follows:

During the January 8 city council meeting, one of your council members said, “About five or six weeks ago a woman in this group, who is a friend of mine, she’s in this audience today, came to my office and began sharing with me some of this information.”

For the public record: If this council member is referring to me, Phyllis Frey, let it be known that I do not know this council member other than through conducting business matters during regularly scheduled meetings at Vero Beach city council. This council member and I are both members of the same Rotary club, and I do not know this person outside the business conducted at that club.

A subsequent comment was made by this same council person. It was, “I do not believe that the United Nations and Rotary and all these organizations are out there in global efforts to take over the planet….”

For the public record: During my research on the United Nations, nothing I have ever said or written, nor that is written in any of the list of books and source materials I have used, nor in the collective works of academics who have researched the subject ahead of me, had printed to my knowledge, nor stated, that the Rotary organization has a conspiracy to take over the planet. The records clearly show that there is nothing implicit or implied on my behalf, or that of the group who spoke out against “Seven 50” that would support this false premise.

The council member continued: “What I do believe, is that there’s a lot of people that are working very hard to promote their own agenda.”

For the public record: If this council member in that statement was referring to me or any of my colleagues who spoke, allow me to clarify our mission statement which is: “To protect and preserve the private property rights of Americans in accordance with the U.S. Constitution.” We are a nonpartisan, fact-finding group of citizens concerned about the future of our country, our community, and the protection of our freedoms. We are independent and do not belong to any other organization or group with an agenda. I am not in public office. I am not running for election. I have no monetary gain to be made, and our citizens’ group had no agenda other than to provide the truth. If Jesus had an agenda in revealing the truth, then I stand by Jesus.

Last comment: This council member said quote, “that I was asked to speak on it because I am a very eloquent speaker.” If this council member was referring to me, I did not make that statement. I have proven repeatedly that I am not an eloquent speaker. At the many city council meetings, county commission meetings, civic groups, public forums, home owners associations, other town halls, public luncheons and private homes—wherever I have spoken, including here and now, I read from my notes verbatim. What is factual is that I can write and I can read what I write, and anyone who knows the true content of my character knows that I would never lay false claim to being “an eloquent speaker.”