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<br />contention and the rest stayed the same. She asked if there was a consensus on the <br />revision. <br /> <br />Mr. Price said, on Section VIII, Non-Partisan Council restricts his right of free speech and <br />could never agree to Section VIII. Mayor Welsch asked which line he was referring to and <br />Mr. Price said it was the whole section. Mr. Price said secondly, “When the Charter was <br />created in 1947, there was no rules as related to electronic information. Today we have <br />Facebook, Twitter. Email accounts, instant messaging and this issue came up that we need <br />a rule, as far as this Council, in the use of electronic information. I can’t see voting for these <br />rules unless we have this instituted in our rules because that is a big bone of contention if <br />I’m not mistaken.” <br /> <br />Mr. Sharpe was concerned about the possibility of a candidate using your name without you <br />being aware of it. <br /> <br />Mr. Kraft asked Mr. Sharpe and Mr. Price if they would be comfortable with just leaving the <br />first sentence of Rule 25 which is part of the Charter and remove the rest. <br /> <br />Mayor Welsch asked for the consensus of Council on Rule 25 stating “Members of the City <br />Council serve in a non-partisan capacity.” She pointed out to Mr. Price the in Section II Rule <br />8 the Council did add in the last paragraph “No electronic hand-held devices, phones or <br />other devices designed to communicate with people outside the closed session shall be <br />used by any member of Council during a closed session” and asked if that was what he was <br />speaking about. <br /> <br />Mr. Price asked if that meant no Councilmember could have a laptop. Mayor Welsch said <br />that it would have to be confirmed that it was not connected to the outside world. Mr. Price <br />wanted to know how that would be confirmed. Mayor Welsch said we would have to ask the <br />Councilmember and trust they answered honestly. Mr. Price said, “So I can’t agree to Rule <br />#8. On Rule 25, 26, 27. If I am reading this correct, hypothetically, when President Clinton <br />came to University City and I believe he was on the steps of City Hall. If I go by what this is <br />saying, then I have to advocate my political affiliation. So if President Obama came here, <br />what I am agreeing to is to advocate my political affiliation. I am a member of the <br />Democratic township here, so what I am agreeing to is I can’t even say that. I would never <br />advocate my right to free speech of party affiliation. When I run as a candidate, I run on a <br />non-partisan basis but I am not going to agree to advocating what I believe is a fundamental <br />right in this country to declare what you are. I would never agree to hand-strapping myself <br />for future Councils with something that constringent and runs contrary to everything I think <br />this country is about. Rule 25, 26 and 27, if it meant that I would have to advocate my <br />political affiliation as saying I am a member of the Democratic Township. I would never <br />advocate my right to free speech of my party affiliation.” <br /> <br />Mr. Crow said his Rule 27 was different and Mayor Welsch noted that the change was sent <br />to Council by email the Friday before the meeting. Mayor Welsch said that Rule 25 was <br />combined. Rule 27 now concerns the displaying of an endorsement of any candidate at a <br />City function. Mr. Crow said that at some point in time the Council is going to have to <br />grapple with what Mr. Price touched upon; what are we going to do with our access to <br />electronic information that has been mentioned not only tonight by a citizen but have spent <br />a great deal of time in closed session discussion as well. Mr. Crow believed there needed <br />to be a new set of rules or guidance, as he does not believe this Council is all on the same <br /> <br /> 4 <br /> <br />