Tensions are growing between Bethel’s mayor and city council, which was on full display during the June 13th City Council meeting.
For the last few meetings, Mayor Rose "Sugar" Henderson has been reading sections from the Newly Elected Official Handbook, generally something that focuses on ethics or responsibility or conduct to remind council members of their roles. Typically, she does this after the council gets through its regular agenda and members, including the mayor, take the time to make closing remarks. But during the last meeting she read from a prepared statement.
“We as a city council have no control, no control over the day to day happenings in the city. The only thing that we have control over is the city manager, the city clerk, and the city attorney, and that is it," Henderson said. "If a complaint is brought to you by a U.S. citizen or an employee, it is your responsibility to take that complaint to the city manager. It is not your job to research anything or take any action. You can surely follow up with the city manager and/or the complainant at a later date."
Henderson was complaining about the behavior of some of the city council members, though she didn’t call them out by name.
The mayor said that she was “tired of putting out fires” and said that some council members are constantly contacting department heads, which could be perceived as micromanaging. She also said that one council member contacted the city’s auditor.
“There is absolutely no reason why a council member should or would need to call the audit firm and request journal entry. It is the job of the city manager and the finance director, since they are the ones who signed the contract. Not the council to be in contact with the audit auditing firm," Henderson said. "The city council members contacting them, it could be taken as intimidation. This, just like when the three council members entered the city manager's office together, that too could and should be taken as intimidation."
She then pivoted to texting while the council is in session. She told council members that when they text each other during the meeting they could be violating the state's open meetings act.
“When we are in a meeting, we are on the record and everything needs to be said on the record. And when you talk amongst yourselves via text you are breaking the rules. Also, there will be no more texting between anyone including husbands and wives,” Henderson said.
When she was done Vice-Mayor Henry Batchelor pushed back.
“First off, I'd like to remind our mayor: she is a council member. Mayoral administration, according to our rules, is a weak mayor. She is part of the council, she does not stand above the council,” Batchelor said.
It’s not clear exactly what prompted Henderson’s comments; she did not want to be interviewed. But Batchelor did agree to an interview.
“I did not know what she was referring to to be honest with you. I think I had a little bit of a knee-jerk [reaction] to her, ” Batchelor said.
When asked if he knew of any council members going around the city manager to find out more about city business as the Mayor suggested, he said that he did not know what she was talking about.
“I can say myself I have not. I cannot speak for others and I don't know of anybody actually doing that,” Batchelor said.
When asked if city council members were getting along?
“I mean, um, as well as any council will. I don't think there's any any issues between council members," Batchelor said."We do have, we all have our own opinions and our, and some people feel, and I'd be honest with you, everybody feels their opinion is what's best for the city. And like all councils, that's the point of a council: multiple opinions in the best one lens."
A number of people in leadership in the city have resigned or retired in recent months and there are a handful of unfilled positions. The city is also in litigation. Former finance director Duane Wright sued the city for wrongful termination. The interim city manager has yet to arrive, and some unions are in the process of salary negotiations.
Batchelor said that he would like to see more people involved in city government.
“We have trouble doing business in committee because we're understaffed. And if you listen to the council, a lot of the committees we didn't have a quorum, we didn't have enough people to have to hold the committee. If we can't hold a committee, it makes it extremely hard to do our job and to help the city, and do what the city wants and not what seven people think they want,” Batchelor said.
The next city council meeting is on Tuesday, June 27. According to the agenda packet, the council will go into executive session where they will discuss three lawsuits against the city.
