Spokane City Council President Joe Shogan today is instituting a new policy addressing verbal personal attacks at City Council meetings. The following is a statement from the Council President Shogan articulating his directive:

“At Monday night’s City Council meeting, there occurred the latest in a series of personal verbal attacks that have focused on the Mayor, myself as a Council President, the Council as a whole, and other citizens. These attacks cannot and will not be allowed to continue. Utilizing the powers vested in me by Article 3, Section 9 of the City Charter that reads “The City Council President shall preside at all meetings of the City Council,” I am instituting a No Tolerance Policy for verbal personal attacks at the City Council Legislative Sessions. This policy will commence with the December 15, 2008, evening Council Legislative Session. From now on, any person who engages in a personal verbal attack on any other citizen, City staff, the Mayor or any member of the City Council will be told by me as Council President to cease such behavior and to leave the podium. Should such behavior continue, I will declare said person to be out of order and have the person removed from the Council Chambers. Again, this No Tolerance Policy shall apply only to personal verbal attacks on the Mayor, the Council President, the City Council or any other citizen. It shall not apply to comments on or criticisms of City or Council actions and policies.”