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7 In a close 3-2 vote Wednesday night, the Rollingwood City Council named Barry Bone as the city’s newest alderman.
Bone, Leslie Davis and Kelli Carlton applied for the seat that was vacated when Bill Hamilton was elected mayor in May.
The four sitting council members were divided between Carlton and Bone, who were both in the audience Wednesday night. Alderwomen Sarah Hutson and Roxanne McKee supported a motion to name Carlton to the council, while Shanthi Jayakumar and John Hinton supported Bone. Mayor Bill Hamilton, who votes only to break a tie, cast the deciding vote.
The city had the option to appoint an alderman or call a special election in November to elect someone to the empty seat. Hamilton emphasized the need to have a fifth council member during the upcoming budget discussions in which a property tax rate will be set for the city.
“I’ve had a number of comments from residents that we should wait and call an election in November,” Hamilton told the council and audience. “I used to be on that position. We will need to adopt a property tax rate and budget in September. We need four council members present for that, and there is a risk that an emergency could keep someone from being here.”
If the rate and budget are not set in September there is a risk that the city may not have a budget in place for the start of the new fiscal year in October.
During a contentious debate, McKee and Hutson criticized Bone’s past actions and a blog about city politics that he runs.
“This blog had a lot of sarcastic and very biting remarks against neighbors,” McKee said. “We need everyone to come together.”
She also criticized Bone for announcing earlier this month that he was resigning from the utility commission and that he would not be filling an application for the alderman position because of work commitments, only to file the application a few days later.
Bone explained that he was in pain the night of his announcement from a broken heel. He said his foot and leg were in an immobilizing boot Wednesday night, and that stress from work had caused him to withdraw prematurely.
“I should not have said that,” Bone told the council. As for the blog, “I started the blog because I thought the information presented to the public [by the city] was inadequate.”
Clearly upset by the negative comments about Bone, Jayakumar said, “I can get along without going negative. I truly believe we need to move forward positively.”
She said that she supported Bone over Carlton for his professional expertise in finance, which the council is currently without and would come in handy during the upcoming budget discussions.
Alderman John Hinton agreed.
“We are going into the hardest budget year this city has every had,” he said. “Barry’s skill set will help us get through this budget season.”
“I reluctantly choose to support this motion,” Hamilton said, adding that he supported Bone for his financial skills as well.
“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future,” he said during the discussion.
Bone will serve the remainder of Hamilton’s term on the council and will come up for re-election in May 2011.
I am appalled at the continued and apparently premeditated assault on Barry Bone by sitting council members, Sara Hutson and Roxanne McKee. He is a man of integrity and honesty. His blog was extremely informative at a time when the city administrator and some council were acting secretively, and in the eyes of many citizens, without integrity and honesty.
The comments from citizens on the blog were more direct and expressed many situations that the city leadership perhaps did not want publicized. That is what the fuss is most likely about. Barry Bone provided an excellent forum for expression of citizens in Rollingwood when there were no options avaialble to the citizens. I applaud his support of our FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
Welcome to the council, Barry!
interesting that barry actually lost this election by two votes to kelli carlton- in Rollingwoods winner take all election proces she should have been appointed. Shanthi, Bill and John should be embarassed as should Rollingwood residents.
Shanthi, Bill, and John have nothing to be embarrassed about. They do not smear members of our community. I will not be told by “democracy??” that I should be embarrassed by them.
I am embarrassed by Roxanne McKee and Sara Hutson’s nasty behavior. They should be ashamed of their lack of sensitivity, decency, and hypocracy since they both ran on being “positive”.
I trust Barry to listen to and express the views of those he represents. Roxanne and Sara have chosen to ignore concerns of citizens, and should think about their constant criticism of the expression of viewpoints other than their own. Glass houses, anyone?
YEA BARRY!!!!
Maybe Kelli Carlton did not receive more support for her appointment because she claimed as her qualification her desire to represent a faction against the rest of the citizens rather than to seek to mold consensus and to direct city efforts toward the highest priorities of the collective will of all citizens of Rollingwood. Fortunately, a majority of the council recognizes the duty of each member of the council to prioritize the use of municipal power and money in accordance with the priorities of the public–to use scarce public funds on projects for which there is a consensus, not just the loud, tiresome, demands of an insistent, self-centered few.
I understand the contentiousness was by two council members. It was unnecessary as each council member could have nominated their preferred candidate to fill the vacancy in a calm and respectful manner and without it going to a vote which was forced by Roxanne McKee.
Civility was the option chosen by Bill Hamilton, Shanthi Jayakumar, and John Hinton.
At the Candidate’s Forum, every candidate rejected the proposition that the candidate receiving the third most votes should be appointed to fill the vacancy. Kelli Carlton herself refused to agree to support the third place finisher, but instead advocated filling the position based on the qualifications of applicants to serve the best interest and needs of the City in the judgment of members of the City Council.
This approach advocated by Kelli herself is the one followed by the City Council to appoint Barry Bone. Information presented at the City Council meeting demonstrated beyond any reasonable debate that Barry was the applicant who is most qualified to lead our City to solve our infrastructure problems in the context of serious fiscal constraints. No other applicant had any business experience at all, much less Barry’s directly relevant experience managing infrastructure projects for governmental bodies. Although we all appreciate Kelli’s volunteer work for the Women’s Club and the Cub Scouts, that is not the kind of experience that is so desperately needed on the City Council right now.
I feel honored that Barry Bone is still willing to serve our city. He has integrity, class, a professional demeanor, and extensive planning and financial experience, as well as the necessary desire to listen to and respond to all Rollingwood citizens.