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CASSELBERRY CITY COMMISSION Minutes of January 25, 2021 — Regular Meeting Page 9 of 15 F. Discussion of Whether an Independent Third Party Should be Engaged to Perform an Investigation into the Facts Relating to Vice Mayor Busch's Comments on January 5 2021 with Presentation of the Findings from the Investigation to be Presented at the Earliest Possible Regular Citv Commission Meeting Commissioner Albritton clarified that his request for an investigation and further discussion of Vice Mayor Busch's comments were due to the vast amount of feedback that had been received from citizens regarding the issue, both in opposition to and in support of Vice Mayor Busch. He stated he believed that elected officials should be held to a certain standard and the City Commission had a moral obligation to ensure that its members were representing the City's morals and values when making public comments. He added that he believed the City should invest in pursuing an independent investigation to determine what the facts were and whether any action on the part of the Commission was called for. Discussion: Discussion ensued amongst the City Commission members and the City Attorney which included: concerns about what compliance with Item 8 of the Code of Boardsmanship entails and the issues that could arise when trying to determine what someone can and cannot say; the possibility that the video of Vice Mayor Busch's comments may not have included all that happened due to editing; whether engaging an independent investigator would be a good use of taxpayer money; limitations on what any recourse or sanctions may be available; and the need for further citizen input. Vice Mayor Busch confirmed that he was acting as a private citizen on his own accord on the day he made the comments that are the issue and he was unaware that video had been taken until told by someone. He added that he had also reviewed the Code of Boardsmanship after the event and stated that Item 9 states "I will value and assist my fellow Board or Commission members by exchanging ideas, concerns and knowledge gleaned from my research or training. I will help build positive community support for the City in general by cooperation and mutual exchanges of praise when deserved, apologies when mistaken and recommendations when needed." He stated he had adhered to that and had immediately apologized when he found out about the video, so he believed he was definitely adhering to the Code of Boardsmanship. Audience Participation: The following individuals came forward to address the City Commission regarding this item: 1. Mr. Robert Phillips, 251 South Triplet Lake Drive, Casselberry, stated that the protection of free speech means the protection of unpopular speech, as the protection of popular speech is not required. He stated he felt the limits on what actions the City Commission could take had been spelled out and he urged them to get to a resolution quickly and get on with City business. 2. Mr. Ted Weeks, 30 Surrey Knoll, Casselberry, spoke in support of Vice Mayor Busch. 3. Mr. Aaron Rosenthal, 109 Georgetown Drive, Casselberry (unincorporated Seminole County), spoke in support of Vice Mayor Busch. 4. Ms. Sandy Morton, 1651 Avalon Boulevard, Casselberry, spoke in support of Vice Mayor Busch. 5. Mr. Jason Quinn, 1715 Iverness Court, Longwood (unincorporated Seminole County), stated that if the City Commission was going to consider appointing an independent commission to look into Vice Mayor Busch's comments and whether or not he identified clearly if he was speaking in his capacity as a City Commissioner or as a private citizen, then each of the members of the Commission should be held to the same accountability. He cited as an example Commissioner Albritton's political comments made on his Twitter feed in which he did not