Port: This is how representative government is supposed to work

MINOT — We have a tendency to pay a bit too much attention to the histrionics that sometimes take place at public meetings.

Don't get me wrong, public comment periods are important. As we discussed on a recent episode of Plain Talk, I support our new state law which requires comment periods at public meetings, and which also gives local governments the explicit authority to keep comments on topic, to stop long-winded filibusters, and to reject entirely comments that are abusive.

But support for public comment doesn't mean that said commentary is correct, or that elected officials should follow it. In fact, we shouldn't want our elected leaders to govern with their fingers in the wind, endlessly bowing to the whims of a fickle mob. It's antithetical to the very concept of representative