At least one Villa Rica City council person is taking Umbridge with a letter sent to the city of gold’s city council from the American Civil Liberties Union claiming that the city’s recent public comment policies and actions towards public comment – are unconstitutional.
The letter – dated February 10,2025 — claims that during a December 10th 2024 city council meeting “council members threatened and removed citizens who spoke in opposition to a proposed road project,” and “the hostile reaction to the comments violates first amendment protections and infringes on people’s rights to speak freely on an issue of public concern.”
ACLU of Georgia Legal Director, Cory Isaacson stated that the public comment policy adopted the month after that incident “requiring speakers to disclose their name and address and banning comments vaguely deemed ‘personal, impertinent, slanderous, or profane’ is unconstitutional and creates a chilling effect on free expression.”
However, in a letter to WLBB Radio this week, Villa Rica’s Ward Two councilman – also an attorney – Mathew Momtahan contends that it is “clear that the ACLU’s letter was written without a full understanding of the underlying facts or it was written based on misinformation provided to the letter’s author.”
READ Momtahan’s complete letter below:
“I have reviewed the ACLU letter and it is clear that the letter was written without a full understanding of the underlying facts or it was written based on misinformation provided to the letter’s author. For example, the letter claims the Council changed the public comment policy to require the speaker to provider his or her address and that the policy now prohibits “personal, impertinent, slanderous, or profane remarks.” However, these provisions have been part of the City’s public comment policy for as least as long as I have served on City Council. Additionally, the updated parts of the public comment policy, which were not addressed in the letter, have all been adopted in neighboring cities and counties.
Further, my statement at the December 2024 City Council Meeting regarding the false allegations spread and spoken about me during previous public comment periods and on social media were not threats. In fact, my statements actually invited those making the false allegations to present their allegations to whatever relevant adjudicatory body or authority so that those allegations could be properly investigated. Thus, I was inviting participation in the public process not trying to limit public participation. Notably, however, it has been more than two months since I made my statements, and to my knowledge none of those making the false allegations have initiated any investigation with any body or authority to actually investigate the false allegations. I believe that lends to the falsity of the allegations and the lack of credibility of those making the false allegations.”
Regards,
Matthew Momtahan
Councilman, Ward 2, City of Villa Rica, Georgia
READ ACLU Letter to Villa Rica City Council:
