Dear Mr. Michael Miller,
Your paper has now published two columns, falsely accusing me of cutting the volume on public speakers at City Commission meetings. The dais has a graphic volume monitor for the public podium.
If a speaker is tall and does not bend down a bit closer to the microphone, I turn the volume up as soon as I notice the low volume bars on the display. This occurred when Stephen Cody spoke in January. While this speaker was fully audible in the room, he was inaudible on recording until I noticed the low bars on the display, whereupon I turned up the volume.
Likewise, if a speaker yells into the microphone, the amplifier clips, hurting everyone’s ears and producing orange bars on the display. I can slightly lower the amplification to improve the sound quality. This happens often when Antoinette Fischer speaks, because she starts with a normal speaking voice and gradually increases her volume into the orange level.
The graphic volume monitor is in plain sight of other commission members, so if I were to turn down the volume for nefarious purposes, it would be immediately noticed by the commissioners to either side of me. It’s never happened, so let’s end the false accusations. Indeed, public apologies are in order from you and your guest columnists.
Philip Stoddard,
Mayor of South Miami
Comments are closed.