Gilbert did not allow residents to speak about an upcoming sales tax election during Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, a move that drew First Amendment complaints from speakers and an inquiry from a group that seeks to safeguard rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
Speakers were told by Mayor John Lewis on Tuesday that they could not talk about the tax issue during a section of the meeting reserved for comments from the public. Lewis defends the position citing a state law that bans the use of public resources to influence the outcome of an election.
Lewis said he’d been told by Town Attorney Susan Goodwin that allowing people to advocate either for or against the town’s proposed quarter-cent sales tax hike earmarked for public safety was not allowable under state law. The vote is set for May 18.
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