COUNCIL POLITICS BOIL OVER; MAYOR'S CUTOFF OF CRITICS FEEDS FUROR.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Mounting political tensions boiled over during Tuesday night's City Council meeting, with shouting matches erupting between the mayor and council critics over their right to speak.

The rancor surfaced during the public comment portion of the meeting, when several of the 13 candidates in the upcoming council election tried to make statements. Mayor Michael Markey gruffly halted their comments, saying some were unrelated to city business while others amounted to personal attacks on a council member.

``We are here to conduct city business, not to listen to political speeches by candidates and their campaign managers,'' said Markey, known for his no-nonsense style of running the weekly meetings.

``If you want to criticize the city policies or procedures, that's OK. But we're not here for people to make their political innuendoes and political speeches,'' he said.

But those whose comments were stifled took issue with Markey's actions and accused him of infringing on their First Amendment right to free speech.

``Are you going to put a sock in everybody's mouth?'' asked Joy Meade, who is organizing several campaigns for the fall elections and came to the podium to criticize the election literature of incumbent Andy Fox.

``Why don't you just write our speeches for us?'' Meade shouted at Markey after he told her to sit down. ``This meeting seems to be closed to the public anyway.''

Resident Debbie Gregory suggested Markey bring in a First Amendment attorney to help clarify what speakers can say. She told Markey that the public comment session should be a time to hold elected officials accountable - and that the mayor was not allowing residents to do so by stifling their comments.

But Markey said residents should use the public comment time to discuss city business - not to campaign for office.

In defending his actions, Markey said he had sought the advice of Ventura County District Attorney Michael D. Bradbury on what he could - and couldn't - do.

``A legislative body of a local agency may prohibit a candidate running for office from conducting campaign speeches during the public comment portion of the meeting if the candidate is not commenting on matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body,'' Bradbury responded in a letter to Markey.

``However, the legislative body may not prohibit a political candidate from criticizing the policies and programs of the agency or the acts or omissions of the legislative body,'' wrote Bradbury.

Prior to Meade's speech, candidate Richard Messina tried to query the council about its stance on development, but Markey broke in and reminded him that political speeches were prohibited.

However, as the meeting wore on, candidate Chris Buckett was allowed to talk about redevelopment and challenger Marshall Dixon spoke about legislation that pertains to senior citizens.

The meeting had its absurd moments as well, with candidate Nick Quidwai - a well-known council gadfly - using a prop to protest the city's years-old rule that holds speakers to just three minutes each. Quidwai lugged a miniature skeleton housed in a black box to the podium, then asked whether he and the figurine together could talk for six minutes.

Markey didn't even have to refuse the request. The council chambers erupted in laughter, and Quidwai used his three minutes to give a presentation - complete with overhead projector - on a variety of city issues.

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PHOTO (Color) (Ran in Conejo Edition only) Nick Quidwai, a Thousand Oaks council gadfly, sought to get an extra three minutes Tuesday by bringing an accomplice.