111 E.
Grand St. P.O. Box 191, Monticello, Iowa 52310
319.465.3555 • mexpress@n-connect.net
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In the News |
| Councilman
Ton Yeoman addresses Council, mayor and public |
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I’ve become increasingly disturbed in recent weeks with the attempted termination of our City Administrator by the mayor and three Council members on the evening of Feb. 6, 2010. During the few days following that night, I was able to piece together the mayor’s concerns. 1. An e-mail was sent out to all city department heads requesting a review of their budgets in an effort to reduce the $200,000 deficit we faced for the 2010-11 fiscal year budget. 2. Questions that were asked by the City Administrator about some expenditures for the new Emergency Response Center adjacent to the fire station. In short, the mayor and three Council members wanted to terminate Doug Herman for doing his job. As a result of their actions that night, my attention turned to a possible Open Meetings Law violation. As the County Attorney indicated at our last meeting on March 1, 2010, he had been contacted by several residents concerned about the same issue. He shared with us that he forwarded the matter to the Attorney General’s office that chose not to take the case, believed to be for staffing reasons, and the County Attorney indicated that the matter was not, however, dead, and that anyone could take up the action under Iowa Code. It is my opinion, and the opinion of my attorney, that a violation of the Open Meetings Law did in fact occur. I wish the AG or the County Attorney would be taking on this issue, however, in light of their unavailability to do so, and my strong belief that as a community, and I as a Council member, I cannot merely pretend that what happened didn’t happen. If we want to move on, the ship must be righted, and that cannot happen if we merely brush this under the rug. Cover-ups are never appropriate, and this kind of activity cannot be ignored or we will risk it becoming the norm. As a result, I am filing a civil action against the mayor and three Council members for an Open Meetings Law violation. I also think it is important to recognize that some Council members may have been unwitting participants or duped in the process, but ignorance of the rule, newness on Council, lack of intent or poorness of advice received, cannot be offered to legally excuse their action. My attorney has advised me of the impossibility of going after a selection of those that violated; it is unfortunately an all or nothing action. Being a publically elected official does not make one immune to responsibility. I’m tired of our publically elected officials, at all levels of government, violating laws and abusing the system without being held responsible. I can’t do anything about it in Des Moines or Washington, D.C., but I can in Monticello, Iowa. Tom Yeoman Council member Ward 4 |
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