A matter related to citizen comments at St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meetings was at the center of a reaction expressed by commissioner Dan Czajkowski earlier this month.
Constantine resident Rebecca Shank has persistently asked commissioners to restore the “citizen comment” option toward the end of the board’s twice-a-month meetings.
The second opportunity was removed from the board’s meeting agendas about a year ago. As a concession, an additional minute was added so anyone addressing the board has four minutes at the onset of a meeting.
During commissioner comments, Dan Czajkowksi said a statement he made Jan. 10, alleging that he was not interested in hearing citizen comments, was taken out of context and is not true.
Czajkowski clarified that the county passed a civility statement and people at the podium are to be polite and courteous. He called the commissioners room a special place, and he tends to tune out people who use the podium to make personal attacks and inflammatory statements with no basis.