The Fountain Hills Town Council’s Rules of Procedure 5.2.G5 state in part: “In order to conduct an orderly business meeting, the Presiding Officer shall keep control of the meeting and shall require the speakers and audience to refrain from abusive or profane remarks, disruptive outbursts, applause, protests or other conduct that disrupts or interferes with the orderly conduct of the business of the meeting.”
Under these rules, Mayor Gerry Friedel abruptly shut down audience applause following resident Patty Torrilhorn’s remarks on the separation of church and state and the Council’s Open Meetings Law violations. Yet what unfolded next was less about order than about control. Friedel’s immediate reaction to residents participating in local government was to threaten, “I’ll clear the room.”
This unnecessary escalation could have been avoided with steady leadership and respect for civic engagement. Instead, Friedel once again demonstrated poor judgment, limited composure, and a pattern of selective enforcement. When applause aligns with his agenda, he lets it stand. When it challenges him, he cracks down.
The inconsistency is striking—and unacceptable for a presiding officer who should model impartiality.
*Statement of Participation: As a couple of speakers adroitly also pointed out, the Town Council Meeting Agenda — Statement of Participation — reads, “It is also requested that applause be kept to a minimum….” When Friedel threatened “I will clear the room” and an audience member asked, “For clapping,” Friedel said “Yes. It is not allowed.”
THAT, IN FACT, IS NOT TRUE, MAYOR FRIEDEL.
Applause is, per the Statement of Participation, allowed.
STOP making your own subjective rules, Mayor Friedel. Stop bullying. Stop censoring speech. Fountain Hills deserves leadership that treats every voice with fairness and dignity.
