WTH is Going On At County Council? When "Call Timmy" Becomes A Policy, Democracy Is in Trouble
- Dec 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 12
A Truthline Briefing on the Attempt to Silence Public Comment — and Why New Castle County Council Rule 9 Protects Every Resident’s Voice
By Karen Hartley-Nagle | December 10, 2025| Truthline Briefing
For the entire eight years I served as Council President, the rule was clear, consistent, and respected: public comment was three minutes. No flipping between two minutes one week and three the next. No shrinking the clock because too many residents showed up.
No games.
Three minutes - every meeting, every speaker, every time.
And everyone on that dais knows it.
Councilman George Smiley was almost always the first to complain about public comment - followed closely by the same majority who rarely wanted to actually hear from their own constituents. But under my leadership, the choice was simple:
If you take the time to come in, walk up,
sign in, or join remotely, you get the full
three minutes. Period.
Not two minutes.
Not ninety seconds.
Not “until we feel like cutting you off.”
We stayed as long as it took for everyone to speak.
If someone was mid-sentence or mid-thought, they finished it. That's not generosity - that's democracy.
And it wasn't optional. It's in the Council's own rules: Rule 9, last revised August 28, 2025 - barely three and a half months ago. It's sitting right now on the New Castle County Council homepage for anyone to read.
So let's call this what it is:
The problem isn't the rule.
The problem is the councilmembers now looking for every possible way around it.
And now? We all saw it.
A councilmember actually said, out loud, “Call Timmy” (referring to Councilman Tim Sheldon)
- as if the solution for a resident who goes over the allotted time is to summon a large man to
physically remove them.
Believe them. This is not a joke. It's a warning.
And it wasn't just that comment.
Before they kept these conversations behind the scenes - and now in an open New Castle County
Council Meeting - a public conversation about:
· Having someone physically remove speakers
· Councilman George Smiley's previously floated idea to install a button to mute speaker’s
mid-sentence
· Or to silence or “cut” the mic automatically
· And even talk of Councilman Sheldon being the one to physically carry residents out
This isn't about consistency.
It's about control.
And I'll say the quiet part out loud:
I fully expect Councilman George Smiley to try to change Rule 9 next, because restricting public input has
always been easier for him than answering it. He has never met a resident's voice he didn't want to shorten.
But the public isn't the problem.
The public is the point.
Residents pay the taxes, fund the government, and live with the consequences. They deserve a full
voice - not a countdown clock that shrinks every time a politician gets uncomfortable.
Do not let them normalize “Timmy.”
Do not let them normalize muting the mic.
Do not let them normalize silencing the room.
This is your chamber.
Your government.
Your voice.
Rule 9, in black and white: three minutes of public comment — guaranteed.
The only thing that changed wasn’t the rule. It was the Council’s willingness to follow it.
What Rule 9 Really Says — and What County Council Hoped You’d Forget
This is the exact rule governing public comment — the one that guarantees residents a full three minutes, protects their right to speak, and limits the presiding officer’s power to silence them. For eight years, this rule was followed without games, shortcuts, or “mute” buttons. Now, the same leadership invoking “Call Timmy” is selectively redefining it.
Read the language for yourself.
Then compare it to what you witnessed in the meeting.
SOURCES & DOCUMENTATION
New Castle County Council Public Comment Rule 9
Because the truth doesn’t need spin. It needs receipts.
Primary Documents
New Castle County Council Rules – Rule No. 9: Public Attendees.
Adopted and last revised August 28, 2025. Official governing language detailing public conduct, comment rights, and the three-minute speaking rule.
Source: New Castle County Council Website
(Direct link to Rule 9 on NCCC site)
Delaware Code, Title 29 § 1004 (d)
State statute cited within Rule 9 regarding maintaining order in public meetings and removal of disruptive attendees.
Source: Delaware General Assembly
Meeting Footage & Public Commentary
New Castle County Council Meeting – Video Clip (Referenced in Briefing)
Includes the exchange in which “Call Timmy” was stated during discussion of public comment limitations.
Source: Shannon Tiberi, Public Facebook Post
Context & Reporting
New Castle County Council Meeting Agendas & Minutes
Background documentation for all public meetings in which public comment procedures were discussed or debated.
Source: New Castle County Council Public Meetings Portal
(Link to NCC Council Agenda Center page_December 9, 2025)
Truthline Analysis
Truthline Briefing: “WTH Is Going On at County Council?”
Briefing authored by Karen Hartley-Nagle, former Council President (2016–2024). Examines discrepancies between Rule 9 and the actions taken or suggested by sitting members during the meeting.
Source: The Truthline Network – karenhartleynagle.com
(Link to related recent Investigative Report, "The Night The Masks Dropped")
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