By Francois Poisson
The Set-Up
On May 8, 2023, five and then six City Councilors met at the State Street Saloon from 7:00 pm onward. Unless it was entirely serendipitous, these meetings had to be prearranged. At first, there were Councilors Andrew Bagley, Kate Cook, Josh Denton, Vince Lombardi and John Tabor. At the second gathering that evening, Rich Blaylock joined the meeting.
Just remember, please, that this is not John Tabor’s first rodeo. This is his second City Council in a row. And Josh Denton is an attorney and he served as a City Councilor before as well. This City Council is no stranger to ethics complaints.
So, What’s the Big Deal?
Because there was a quorum of City Councilors present meeting together (a quorum exists when five or more City Councilors are present), the gathering is a public meeting. That means it had to be publicly warned with an agenda published showing what business was to be discussed. Minutes had to be recorded and those should be made publicly available on the City website. None of these requirements was met.
Is Anything of Significance Going On Regarding City Business?
Let’s see. Perhaps these Councilors were discussing McIntyre. After all, this crop of Councilors has, with the help of City management, conducted McIntyre discussions and negotiations in secret from early in its term, starting in January 2022.
Or maybe it has to do with issues regarding the adoption of the fiscal year 2024 City budget? As proposed, it represents a challenge. Costs are rising primarily in the City Manager’s office. Expenses are proposed to go up by $9 million. Perhaps those optics are not that appetizing, especially to the taxpayer?
Possibly there are issues with the Capital Improvement Plan. There are a lot of moving parts to that which impact what the City spends where and when.
All We Have Is Conjecture
Once again, the residents are left guessing. The City Councilors know. Maybe they know more than they want us to know. But that’s not very reassuring.
