City Council Celebrates April Fools Day April 15th.
Posted in Greensboro City Council
Apr. 17, 2008 at 16:32
by BrendaBee
Before reading this blog allow me to apologize for a mistake that I have since corrected. I referred to Peterson-Buie as Anderson-Buie. That comes from doing a blog at 3 am then reading it over at 4:30 pm and being embarrassed. BBGreensboro City Council Meeting April 15th.
If you haven’t found it yet you might want to check out the City of Greensboro’s website. A lot of good information there. Of particular interest is the media page.
http://greensboro.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
where you will find the videos along with the written minutes of the meeting. I have come to hate the actual city council meetings as being boring affairs so it is nice to have the videos where I can fast forward past the unimportant stuff and get right to what I am, interested in. (This is especially the case when the council meets and then adjourns to one of the famous closed sessions.)
This week’s meeting had one interesting spots in its nonsense that I thought you might want to hear about. So here is a blow by blow. The red are points the council members made that I just wanted to point out. That's me in the purple.
Bomb: Mary Rakestraw made a motion that Mitch Johnson be relieved of his position. She stated that the residents of the city still had little or no confidence in the city manager and neither did she.
Along comes dear Goldie Wells popping up to indignantly deny that the topic had been discussed and she felt that the motion should not be recognized. ( Note: the council had come in at 4:00 pm specifically to discuss the topic) Then she went into her finger waving and admonishing with the long, long nails that she obviously is most proud of since she shows them off at every opportunity. She shook her finger and stated vehemently that she was “tired of people just coming in with motions that the council had not previously discussed and agreed on". She couldn’t possibly have said any plainer that she wants to conduct the city’s business behind closed doors and that the people have no right to hear any of these discussions. The council members were elected to take care of things without the input or interference of any peons !
Mike Barber addressed the issue and stated that he would vote in accordance with his comment in closed session. He made an excellent point when he went on to say he felt Greensboro was poised to grow significantly in the next decade and he feels strongly that the city needs someone who has led a city thru a period of rapid growth. (In other words, I want to ditch Mitch too!) He also called for closure so that the council and the city can moved forward.
City Management is a professional degree program and it is time for Greensboro to get away from the good old boy promoting from within and hire a professional city manager. this would also eliminate the political maneuvering that is the way things are done now. The Superintendent of Schools is hired from outside and is a profession trained specifically to do the job he is hired for. I don't believe I have noticed the Superintendent catering to any special interest groups as does the City Manager.
Bellamy-Small called the motion an “ambush” and like Wells wanted no motions or discussions of the city manager unless it was discussed in closed session first. Then she made a substitute motion that the council not consider the motion. Goldie Wells self-righteously and smugly seconded the motion. It is so much fun to watch these people!
The Mayor got the City Attorney’s advice on the allow ability of a substitute motion which Peterson-Buie stated was allowable. Strange than that when Trudy Wade spoke next and made a second substitute motion Peterson-Buie was poised to deny it’s legality but Trudy was having none of that nonsense and made it clear, then went on with her motion.
Trudy Wades second substitute motion was that the City Manager be offered another position within the city with that position’s appropriate compensation, and immediately place Bob Morgan the Assistant City Manager in the position of Acting City Manager and start an immediate search for a new Greensboro City manager. The motion failed 6 to 3. The three being Trudy Wade, Mike Barber and Mary Rakestraw.
Bellamy-Small restated her motion. She wanted the motion not to be recognized and that the City Manger not be fired and that the council continue as they have been doing discussing the issue in closed session and no vote be taken until all council member shave been fully briefed and all had their say. “AND that it not be done as it was done here which was an ambush!”
Mayor Yvonne politely asked her if she would consider removing the word "ambush" from her motion, which she did but not willingly.
Mary Rakestraw then asked if every motion that comes before this board must be discussed previously. She pointed out that they had had the discussion in closed session to discuss the City Manager. In fact they had started the meeting at 4:00 pm specifically to discuss Mitch Johnson and this had been planned at the council meeting in March because they ran out of time before getting to it.
Diane and Goldie went on for some time about how indignant they were and how the discussion wasn’t finished and not everyone was heard and so on and so on. Goldie
Dear Robbie Perkin came in with his bit. He had the gall to point out that when he got into the council. In 1993 it was because he felt the city’s business should be handled in a more statesman like manner. He further stated that he is sad to see the City Council of the City of Greensboro going in this direction and feels it is a sad reflection on how the board does business. He then called on the people of Greensboro to speak up about these showing of poor conduct.
Now I will remind you that Robbie Perkins is the all time sleazy back room operator. He was very instrumental in stopping any audit of Project Homestead books that then cost the tax payers of Greensboro millions of dollars.
Trudy Wade then spoke up and said she feels any council person has a right to make any motion they want. She then went on to say that she felt that no amount of discussion was going to resolve this issue and it would benefit all to just make the motion and vote on it and then accept what ever the vote is and go on with the business at hand.
Goldie and her finger and long, long finger nail got into the act again. She put everyone in their place by telling them they should concentrate on doing their jobs and let the City Manager do his. Now I wonder where I got the weird idea that one job of the City Council was to hire and to fire the City Manager?
Mayor Johnson called for a vote but wasn't sure what they were voting on and neither was I at that point.
Mary came on one last time and pointed out that there were no discussions in the back room there was just people ridiculing anyone who did not agree with them. Then there is no discussion out in front of the community either because any motion made had to be discussed and agreed on in the back room. Watching Wells’ and Bellemy-Small’s behavior in open meeting I can just imagine their abusive behavior behind closed doors. Mary went on to point out that to Robbie Perkin that she too was doing the people’s business according to what she was hearing from her constituents and even staff members and no matter how the vote went whether more back room discussion was approved or whether they moved on to her motion this discussion was indeed going to come up again and again.
Mike Barber and the City Attorney Peterson-Buie got into it over the motion by Bellemy Small to “call the question”. Barber pointed out that the Call the Question (which means end of discussion, shut up and vote) requires a second to the motion and a two thirds majority. Peterson-Buie disagreed and Barber said that the sheet on Parliamentary Procedure given to the council members by the Attorney’s office needed to be corrected then. And at this point the two were talking over each other Peterson-Buie than put Mike Barber and attorney in real life in his place by stating “ …..as the City Attorney it is my understanding that a Call the Question does not need a second and it ends all discussion and you are supposed to vote.” Barber again pointed out that the sheet of instructions needed to be revised and corrected. Peterson-Buie kept going with “If you want me to discuss that with you later I’ll be glad to do so (Barber said “I don’t need to!) but I have given my opinion as to the appropriate actions and there’s been a Call the Question” .
At this point every one got into the fray with the three (you know who I mean) accusing Barber of just causing a diversion.
They did finally vote and Diane’s motion carried 7 to 2 with Trudy Wade and Mary Rakestraw voting against.
Don’t you just love it?!? Hurray for Mary Rakestraw!
0 Comments | Post Comment | Email This
