Sir: I feel a need to respond to a letter to the editor from the Chief Legal Officer of the municipality, as published June 23 in The Chatham Voice, “No grandstanding in uniform.”
Personally, I do not believe this letter to the editor was on the top of his to do list, I believe the direction came from higher up.
The Chief Legal Officer cites a municipal policy not allowing employees or contract employees who wear a C-K uniform to voice their political views while in uniform. Can the Municipality, through the policy, explain to me what constitutes a uniform?
If workers from Riverview Gardens were to show up at city hall in their scrubs, would that be a uniform? The same could be asked about public works employees wearing the proverbial green work pants and safety boots.
Yet a representative from the municipality, in uniform and I assume on duty, made a presentation to a local service club aired on our local cable station about the same issue.
Through the years I have been part of rallies, demonstrations and protests. Some of them with our current mayor. There was one thing I learned quickly; there is no such thing as a dress code at a rally.
While I am pleased to see the municipality endorses our right to freedom of speech, in this case I believe it is unpopular speech that needs to be defended.
This issue should have been dealt with between the alleged offenders and their direct employer and representatives, not by a heavy handed, public pronouncement from city hall reinforcing a dress code.
Buddy Kitchen
Chatham
