Our Mayor & Council are no match for the stuffed snail that seized center stage at their regular meeting on the evening of Monday May 11, 2026.
That evening, the Snailster frolicked behind each resident who took the podium to address the Mayor & Council, as you can see at 1:53:00 in the official video: https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=507&fbclid=IwY2xjawRxQ9dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFDdEZSbjBDQTFkb2tVRnp1c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlS2k6-NbmSkZv3PquEHEyr4ArlswwXh16OsiZ-cRtRjyZw3OS9b574UA0Kr_aem_zuMp08GE3ZDcq1U7GbfTDQ
In that video, the Mayor & Council sit on the raised dais, poker-faced and apparently oblivious to the Snailster’s antics until a longtime Borough resident calls and brings it to their attention.
“There is a puppet snail in the background…” observes the caller. “It’s quite distracting…When I’m looking at a speaker, all I see is the snail puppet… Are you aware of that?” (1:59:36)
“No, I have no idea what you’re talking about, ” replies Mayor Dempsey.
So the caller specifies the location of the stuffed snail. Council members perk up and peer at the podium. Smiles cross their faces. A giggle sweeps the Chambers.
“Do you see that?” asks the caller.
“We’re all good. Keep going,” says the Mayor, neither confirming nor denying having seen the Snailster’s stellar performance. And no wonder.
In effect, the clever snail danced circles around our Mayor & Council’s new policy requiring walk-on participants to give their names and full home addresses on live television and Zoom.
Of course, our Mayor & Council don’t give their own home addresses at public meetings. They don’t even disclose them in state filings almost nobody ever sees. Too risky for them.
But when a controversial resident tried to comment at a public meeting, the Mayor & Council dusted off an old rule requiring walk-on speakers to give their addresses. https://ecode360.com/32782605#32782605 They required the street and house number. See 1:26:18 here https://chathamborough.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1
Perhaps once upon a time requiring such personal disclosures at Council meetings created no barrier to public participation, Today, it does. Those meetings run live on cable tv and Zoom, and in reports and videos permanently posted online, making each speaker’s name, address, voice, words, and moving image readily available to everyone all over the world forever.
Requiring such personal details undermines the purpose of Public Comment by making it impossible for residents to participate in local government without advertising in real time that they are not at home. That and other resulting risks discourage participation by residents who live alone or with vulnerable family members, lack security systems or personal protection devices, or simply like to maintain a little privacy.
Solution? The Mayor & Council could easily gather any necessary personal information off-camera, as does the Board of Education.
Only thing is, that might lead to more public participation at meetings.
The next two Council meetings are on Tuesday May 26 and Monday, June 8, 2026, at 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.
Rest assured that you won’t need to sign in or out. There’s no dress code. Come as you are. Arrive at your convenience, sit wherever you like, leave whenever you please.
And kindly note that speaking is optional.
