Three Lakewood City Council members are raising free-speech concerns after Mayor Adam Paul muted two of their microphones while they spoke during a Monday meeting on Zoom convened to consider changes to the city manager’s contract.

“You did not mute the other councilors who were singing her (the city manager’s) praises,” council member Rich Olver said to Paul during the 43-minute meeting. “You just want to mute the councilors who are not singing her praises.”

“That’s not true,” Paul responded.

Tension during the meeting stemmed from Paul’s intention, and the intention of six of the 10 councilors, to discuss City Manager Kathy Hodgson’s contract during an executive session planned for Dec. 5. That discussion instead happened online Dec. 19 — with the public watching — because four councilors voted against convening the Dec. 5 private session, with some saying they hadn’t been provided enough information to properly prepare for it. (Lakewood’s charter requires at least eight members to approve a motion for an executive session, which is allowable under the Colorado Open Meetings Law for personnel matters.)