Lack of Knowledge and Public Input is No Excuse

Under normal circumstances, Thursday’s McKenzie City Council meeting should have revolved around the approval of the fiscal year budget. While there was an unpublicized workshop on the budget, the Mayor’s impromptu directional change of Broadway took center stage. The ordeal of Broadway and antics of Thursday’s meeting have left a bad taste in my mouth for McKenzie Municipal Government. 

I sat on the Council for four years, first by appointment and then through general election. I only resigned my seat on the McKenzie Council in 2021 when I moved out of the city limits. Then, I ran and won an elected seat on the Carroll County Commission. Before holding an elected office, I taught government and civics for close to ten years so I am loosely versed enough in local government to understand what I’m about to talk about.

As a business owner, who has a vested interest in McKenzie, I have a serious problem with some things that took place Thursday. Number one there is serious disregard of public input. Members of the Council stated they talked to citizens in McKenzie about the directional change of Broadway. Councilman Tom Alexander stated he talked to all the business owners along Broadway.

Well, he didn’t talk to everyone who operates a business in the downtown area, and he only talked to those a few hours before the meeting. Did he talk to every customer in those establishments, seriously doubt it. Seems like he talked to about 15 people at most. That does not make for strong canvassing. Councilman Bobby Young said he talked to a select number of folks and they didn’t have a strong opinion for or against it.

No one asked our opinion that night. Of course, I didn’t ask to be on the agenda because guess what, the three that voted against reverting Broadway had already made up their minds. The Banner ran an online petition with twenty-plus signatures against the change. We also had multiple phone calls stating individuals were against the change. I bet those residents weren’t asked by council members.
It wasn’t until after the meeting that Councilwoman Carol Armpriest talked to Brittany and me about what was going on with Broadway. And then it didn’t seem much like a fact-finding mission. We explained how trucks making deliveries to the McKenzie Banner and Williams Furniture have a tendency to hamper the flow of traffic down Lee Street, and how trucks sometimes need to go against the flow of traffic to maneuver. Councilwoman Armpriest then asked, since Broadway is one-way, could Banner Row be made into a two-way directional street?

No, that would not alleviate the problem with Broadway.

City Attorney Beau Pemberton recommended the Council table the decision until the June meeting.

Councilpersons Armpriest, Young and Alexander were quick with a no. Apparently, they had heard all they needed to make an informed decision. 

My next issue on Thursday was the decision to fill Charles Pruneau’s seat. For the record, I consider Drew Beeler a friend and an excellent candidate to fill that seat. My problem comes from the lack of public input. In the past, the vacant seats have been announced to the public and individuals interested submitted resumes along with a letter of interest. While I doubt anyone better than Beeler would have received the nomination, there needs to be more transparency and public input. 

An additional problem I saw/heard during the meeting was when Mayor Griffin stated that he openly recruited Beeler to run for the Council. That is just something you don’t need to say in an open meeting because on the surface it looks like the Mayor is trying to recruit a Council he can control.

Now on the third issue, Mayor Griffin openly admitted he overstepped his authority as he took it upon himself without the Council’s approval to change Broadway from a traditional two-way street to a one-way street. He had previously stated, “It was best to make it a one-way street. Time constraints precluded the convening of a formal meeting, yet, this matter will be deliberated and voted upon at the forthcoming May meeting. I’ve also sought the insight of MTAS, whose concurrence underscores the importance of safety in our considerations. As mayor, public welfare remains my utmost priority.”

Okay, you messed up. You got caught and admitted the mistake. Crediting the French Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” State law is state law, a self-proclaimed call to action in the name of public safety can not usurp the hierarchy of law. That should be common sense plus shouldn’t MTAS have said you need to do this by ordinance? That’s what they told me.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” The Latin legal terminology of ignorantia legis neminem excusat (ignorance of law excuses no one), is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content. That’s like running 90 mph down a public street and after the cop pulls you over, you then tell him that you didn’t know it was 30 mph. The toothpaste is out of the tube and you can’t put it back in, folks.

After the “mistake” was addressed, select members of the council stroked the Mayor’s ego for admitting his mistake but he still moved closer to his ultimate goal of altering the flow of traffic on Broadway. What I find distasteful, was after the vote was 3-3 to approve the ordinance, the Mayor was able to break the tie vote. Well, we all know how he is going to vote, but he like half the Council only heard what they wanted to hear.

The Mayor overstepped by changing Broadway. The public had little to no voice on the matter and then the Mayor’s Council voted to CURE the problem of his overreach, ignored legal counsel’s advice and set up the Mayor to have the final say in the matter.

It seems to me that it is becoming increasingly obvious that this administration has a lack of working knowledge of the law. Lack of experience is no excuse. If you surround yourself with Yes Men then nothing great is accomplished and it is not a true representation of the people. Lack of public input is disgraceful and lack of public notice is illegal.

Posting on Facebook a meeting date or agenda does not cut it. Posting it on the front door does not muster either. You might as well post on the men’s room wall and say for a good time call 731-352-2332 of course that’s only if you can navigate the automated directory.