Council looks to ban Hill

Fed up with his antics and testimony laced with references to sexual acts, Tacoma City Council is exploring the possibility of banning Robert “The Traveler” Hill from its meetings.

At the end of a recent meeting, Councilmember Mike Lonergan asked City Attorney Elizabeth Pauli to look into the possibility of banning Hill, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the council last year, from attending meetings.

He asked her for an update during the study session July 15.

While Hill’s name was not uttered during the conversation, there was no doubt who Pauli and the council members were talking about.

Pauli said her staff has reviewed approximately 20 tapes of council meetings where Hill has testified.

One was the July 1 meeting, when Hill removed some of his clothing and sat down near the front of the chambers wearing a T-shirt and underwear. She said there is a possibility of pursuing a legal charge of indecent exposure, although she is not prepared to do so at this time. A report will be compiled that could be used to prove a pattern of inappropriate behavior, she added.

In his testimony during the July 8 meeting, Hill used a slang term with a sexual meaning.

The council has rules regarding public testimony, which Mayor Bill Baarsma often recites before public comment segments. Among other things, the rules prohibit promoting a business or product, advocating for a candidate and criticism of public officials of a personal nature.

Lonergan suggested revising the rules to specifically prohibit obscene language.

Pauli said content could be the angle to rein in Hill. “We have to focus on the limitations of our forum,” she said. Pauli does not believe that Hill can be prohibited from entering city hall. “The First Amendment, as you know, is very complicated.”

“We all hold dear the right of free speech,” Lonergan replied. However, he voiced his view that harassment goes over the line. Some council members can be seen leaving the dais when Hill is at the podium. If enough were to do so, the council would lose its quorum and the meeting would legally be over, Pauli reminded the council.

During the Tuesday night meetings, citizens are asked to mention which items on the agenda they will speak about. Hill did that July 8, mentioning an item related to vocational training before he segued into his sexual reference.

“That is the game that is being played,” Baarsma said curtly.

Councilmember Connie Ladenburg mentioned the possibility of turning off the television cameras during public comment. “That is what he is there for, to be seen,” she said. “They don’t have any Constitutional right to be on TV.”

Hill is not the only person who has unnerved council members over the years. Some who speak on occasion appear to be mentally unbalanced. Others have their wits about them but express criticism that sometimes violates council rules. However, Hill stands out for the sexual content of his testimony, as well as his use of signs and other props and often odd outfits.

Councilmember Julie Anderson said she does not want to focus solely on Hill. She mentioned a “cast of characters,” who “turn it into performance art or public access TV.”

Baarsma referred to them as “season ticket holders.”

Anderson seemed hesitant about Lonergan’s suggestion.

“Obscenity is a real slippery slope for me,” she remarked.

Will Baker is a well-known critic of the council who has been arrested at meetings more than once since Baarsma became mayor. In Baker’s case, once his testimony was deemed out of line by Baarsma, the mayor banged his gavel and ordered him to step away from the podium. When Baker refused, the mayor ordered him arrested.

Baker quit attending meetings because the city obtained a restraining order. Asked about this after the study session, Pauli said Baker’s situation is different because he had a legal charge, trespassing, against him.

Hill has not been arrested, although he has been escorted out of the chambers by police officers, as he was during the July 15 meeting after Baarsma determined his testimony was “disruptive” and “outside the scope of public comment.”

City Manager Eric Anderson said he recently requested increased police presence at the meetings because of Hill.

Could Hill’s antics be considered sexual harassment in the workplace? When asked, Pauli said it is possible. Sexual harassment is not limited to two people who are co-workers, she noted. For example, she said if a man employed by a company whose job requires him to enter city hall to deliver supplies is known to make unwelcome advances to female city employees, the city could be legally liable if it does not take action to halt the behavior.

“The city has a duty to protect its employees,” she commented.

Commenting rules