Mayoral Statement on Community Postings

Mayor Sean Reardon is releasing a statement September 6th 2023 regarding our community posting policies. The signed statement can be found here. An updated version of the City's posting policy can be found here.

The statement reads as follows:

"In October 2022, I removed flyers from bulletin boards located in City Hall and the Public Library advertising an upcoming educational event being held by a community organization, Citizens for Responsible Education. Both the City’s posting policy and my actions should have better promoted the constitutionally protected free speech rights of the posting entity. The City is revising its Community Posting Policy applicable to City bulletin boards to confirm that viewpoint discrimination plays no factor in regulating any content posted. The City of Newburyport and the Mayor’s office value the First Amendment guarantee of Free Speech. The City acknowledges that citizens retain the right to express themselves in a public forum, within the confines of the scope of the First Amendment, as interpreted by our state and federal courts. The City may regulate postings on a municipal bulletin board which is open to the public, but acknowledges that postings may not be censored based on their content or the viewpoints expressed."