Commissioners Director Dawn Fantasia Reminds Residents: ‘Everyone in Sussex County Is an Individual of Equal Standing’

(Newton, NJ) The Sussex County Board of County Commissioners Director Dawn Fantasia was forced
to interrupt Wednesday night’s Commissioner meeting, reminding residents to be considerate of
each speaker’s time to comment.

Things escalated during the public session, as well as a separate activated chat feature during the
virtual Zoom meeting. Fantasia was forced to stop the meeting to address the entire audience, after
one member of the public mocked the comments made by another. She also had to remind the call
administrator to ensure all lines remain muted during the public session, except for the caller who
is then speaking.

Wednesday was the first meeting the Commissioners used the Zoom platform, with past meetings using
a conference call platform. Wednesday’s meeting now carries a note on the Sussex County website
that the audio was “edited to remove technical difficulties encountered during the
introduction of a new meeting platform.”

“We had this issue a bit last year [with members of the public interrupting others], so I’m going
to nip it in the bud right now, right out of the gate in 2021,” Fantasia said. “When you speak, the
Commissioners will offer all of you the respect that you deserve, because you took time out of your
day and you’re participating in the public process, and whether I agree with you or not, you could
think I’m wonderful, you could think I’m terrible, it’s of little importance that piece.”

“But what you have to say is important.” Fantasia continued. “And what every caller has to say is
important. And any outbursts that happen, you’re going to be muted and you’ll stay muted. So please
keep in mind to contain yourself, your three minutes is your three minutes, you won’t be
interrupted by a commissioner, but you’re also not going to be interrupted by another member of the
public.”

On behalf of the entire Board, Fantasia would like to remind the public, all members are invited to
speak for an allotted three minutes at meetings during two public sessions, the first pertaining to
agenda items and the second, any item that members of the audience would like to address.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, Fantasia learned that there were speakers fearful of going on the
record, concerned that their personal information could subject them to repercussions from
several speakers, who held differing viewpoints. In response, Fantasia has released the following
statement:

“It has come to my attention that, the manner several speakers addressed fellow
residents, kept other speakers from contributing,” she said.

“In follow-up to my comments at Wednesday’s meeting, I would like to say that everyone
in Sussex County is an individual of equal standing, regardless of their political party,” Fantasia
continued. “Everyone speaking or who would like to speak is a taxpayer. We need to stop referring
to one another tribally and speakers need to remain civil toward one another as each speaks. It is
disconcerting to me that residents would feel afraid to exercise their important Constitutional
rights under the First Amendment. We will only begin to heal from the events of
the last year, if we extend the respect to others that we ask for ourselves.”

. To listen to the full audio from Wednesday’s meeting, visit:
https://www.sussex.nj.us/uppages/JAN%2013%202021%20MEETING%20AUDIO%20TRIM
MED.MP3.

The Commissioners’ next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 27. For further
information about all upcoming and past County meetings, visit:
https://www.sussex.nj.us/cn/Meetings/?tpid=599.
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