Letter to the editor: Councilman explains difference of censor and censure

On behalf of the Brandon City Council, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some misunderstandings about the recent reprimand of Councilman Wakefield, Jr. for his actions violating the City of Brandon Code of Conduct Ordinance regarding fraud and attacking the character of a police chief candidate; especially as it pertains to two commonly confused words — censor and censure.  

Censor, pronounced sen-sir, and censure, pronounced sen-shur, are commonly confused words that look and sound very similar but have very different meanings.

Censor as a verb, means to examine or remove something that is offensive, inappropriate, or secrete. As a noun, it means the person who examines something to remove the offensive, inappropriate or secret parts.

Censure, on the other hand, as a verb means to speak out against or criticize in a public way; however, as a noun, means an official criticism or disapproval.

Censuring Councilman Wakefield, Jr for his actions as outlined in the two motions related to violations of the Code of Conduct ordinance at the April 15, 2019 Brandon City Council meeting was not about curbing his First Amendment freedom of speech or even using social media for sharing information and ideas; as I believe using different resources to reach people with unique backgrounds and diversity is a great way to get to see things from different perspectives.

It was about instilling public confidence in the integrity of our city government, recognizing that when a city council member/members speaks on city related issues, there is a need and expectation of accountability to report accurate information done by utilizing city resources to ensure facts are correct and public confidence promoted. Understanding that public comments made by elected officials can be perceived by the public as a statement by the City, particularly when the communication does not otherwise contain a statement expressed as a private opinion.

Although these two words are very similar in nature, the intent of the procedure outlined by the Brandon City Council regarding the reprimand on Councilman Wakefield, Jr and his violation of the Code of Conduct regarding fraud and attacking the character of a police chief candidate was a censure, not censoring his freedom of speech or ability to reach and communicate with people about important issues facing the city and our citizens.

Brett Bastian

Ward 1 Councilman, on behalf of the Brandon City Council