City Hall Critic Gets $500K For boot

The city of Great Falls has reached a $500,000 settlement with a Vaughn woman who filed a lawsuit after being escorted out of a 2007 city commission meeting for exceeding a three-minute comment limit. The Great Falls Tribune reports Susan Overfield was criticizing the city’s plan to take over the animal shelter when plainclothes police officers removed her from the meeting without identifying themselves. District Judge Katherine Irigoin of Sidney ruled in July that the city violated Overfield’s right to free assembly, government participation and free speech/ AP . More here.

Question: Should elected officials have a time limit for public comments at their meetings?