I suppose I should be grateful I didn't get Tasered and arrested for my act of free speech.

Supervisor Jeff Stone only attempted to instigate a SLAPP suit against me at last Tuesday's public board meeting. The acronym stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation and it has a chilling effect on a free and open democracy.

It's not unusual for me to deliver three minutes of public comment when the county supervisors are contemplating buying more voting equipment from the vendor that has been the exclusive supplier of the county's election system since 1999.

In last Tuesday's comment, I questioned the county's loyalty to Sequoia Voting Systems, even as the board finds itself in the same quandary. The supervisors have twice sent the registrar out of their chambers to negotiate a better deal in the county's purchase of six central optical ballot scanners for $560,000.

The discussion of this agenda item went on for two hours with Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore and Sequoia Representative Steven Bennet sandwiching the time for public comments.

In an incredibly blatant attempt at intimidation, Stone referenced a comment I made regarding the secretary of state's report on Sequoia and said to Bennet, that's a "very powerful statement to make against a company," and asked, "How do you respond to individuals who come to conclusions like that?"

Bennet discounted Stone's leading question by saying "a lot of people have opinions" and went on to discuss Sequoia's response to the secretary of state, but the supervisor pushed his point a little further by saying, "To me (it's) kind of a defamatory statement to make against a company and maybe we should require (Jacobs) to provide evidence …"

Finally, Stone said to Bennet, "We need for you, in a layman's way, be able to counter very libelous statements like that, that really undermine the confidence that our citizens have in your equipment," and said he hoped the company would be more proactive "so that the public can understand the gravity of these allegations."

What in blazes has happened to the state of our democracy when a county supervisor tries to goad a private company into taking some action against a resident speaking at a public hearing?

Stone didn't intimidate me, but I worry that residents viewing the proceedings are now a lot less likely to exercise their right to free speech at a public meeting of their government. And for that, Mr. Stone should be ashamed.

Stone's line of questioning and comment concerning me had nothing to do with the county's negotiations with Sequoia and everything to do with silencing the voice of critics of county policy. By using the words "defamatory," "evidence" and "libelous," Stone was obviously intimating a threat of litigation.

After a little Internet research, I discovered California Civil Code section 47 that "establishes a potent privilege for oral and written communications as well as activity made in any official proceeding." By being "privileged," communication in a public meeting is not subject to charges of slander or libel.

I have seen some political maneuvering in my time, but even without a Taser, Stone may have hit a new low in abusing the power of office to try and keep residents in their place. I think this earns Stone an inaugural place in the Mockery of Democracy Hall of Shame.

Paul Jacobs of Temecula is a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: TemeculaPaul@aol.com