Citizens ask for more voice, input
, Richmond News Staff
07-27-2009
A few Richmond citizens once more made their presences felt, prior to the third Richmond City Council closed session in nine days, on Thursday evening. Mayor J. Lance Green called for the closed session following Tuesday night’s city audit meeting.
Bill Purcell, who spoke representing Citizens Promoting Richmond, and Ellen Franklin, who said she spoke solely representing herself, offered their criticisms to the council in the wake of Police Chief Terri McWilliams’ termination last Friday by a 7-1 council vote. McWilliams was unanimously reinstated by the Richmond Police Personnel Board Tuesday evening.
Council members only indicated the closed session was to discuss “legal” matters, with no action being taken.
Purcell’s comments covered several areas concerning council-constituent relationships. He also invited increased council presence at future CPR functions.
“We’d like to thank the council for their service,” Purcell said. “But Mr. Mayor, we’d also like to suggest that potentially these special meetings don’t give citizens a chance to be engaged with their council on issues that come up.
“What I would like to say, is that we call for a cooling-off period, on this issue especially, and let it rest, potentially allowing the council to give (the mayor) a chance to talk to the chief and report back to the council on what her position is. Certainly, we would ask that the city of Richmond get out of the news and get on with the business of the more urgent problems of water and sewer.”
In a brief lull following Purcell’s remarks, council member Terrie Stanley encouraged more feedback.
“You can speak, come up to the microphone and speak,” Stanley said.
Franklin approached the podium, a back-issue of The Daily News in hand, to address just that topic.
“I’m glad that you’re allowing us to speak tonight, because I have a copy of March 27’s Daily News,” Franklin said. “There’s an article in it . . . It’s discussing whether people are allowed to talk to the council.”
From there, she reminded several present members what they told The Daily News at that time.
“‘Jim Dunwoodie, who is running unopposed in the Third Ward, brought the issue up himself,’’ she read from the article. “‘You can talk at the council meeting before it starts, but then you sit down and shut up,’ he said. ‘I think the citizens of the town need to take control.’ Dunwoodie said the problems could be taken care of in numbers. He said he’s disappointed in how many people participated in the process . . .’.”
She then turned to quotes from then-council candidate Terrie Stanley.
“‘There is a reason for the policy,’ she read. ‘Some council members and the mayor don’t want citizens at the meetings. They are confusing us. They don’t want you coming to the meeting; they want to get it done; get a pass and get out the door.’”
“I was very upset after the last council meeting,” she added. “I felt I needed to remind each of you that said these quotes – I assume they’re correct, there was no correction in the paper afterwards – that’s exactly the way it should be. I feel like now that you guys are in office, I’m hearing a completely different tune.”
Stanley said prior to the meeting that, despite it being what she claimed was a breach of procedure, she would not make a motion to enter the closed session specifically to let people speak beforehand.
“I received personal phone calls about why people couldn’t speak,” Stanley said. “So I’m going to let them speak.”
Stanley described her personal state of mind following Tuesday’s decision as “confused.”
“(The council) didn’t think it was right and still don’t,” Stanley said. “As City Council, we are told we have to follow state statute . . . That is what we were told at Missouri Municipal League meetings.”
Council member Tom Williams echoed Stanley’s confusion.
“We were advised of legal services one way . . . I was under the impression what we did was in our legal right,” Williams said.
Other Top Stories
