As of Aug. 17 the Brentwood mayor has one less function: appointing aldermen to the city’s standing committees.
The aldermen, at the Aug. 17 meeting, voted 5-3 to take the job of making appointments away from the mayor and handing it to the position of the president of the board of aldermen.
In the agenda for the Sept. 8 board of aldermen meeting, Mayor Chris Thornton is scheduled to object to the bill.
According to the new ordinance, within 45 days of each annual election’s swearing in, the board of aldermen will elect one of their own members to be the “acting president of the board of aldermen.” Then, with 45 days the aldermen will nominate themselves in writing, to serve for a one-year term on the Ways and Means Committee, Public Works Committee, Public Safety Committee and Communications Committee.
The president of the board will review the list, and the board of aldermen will vote to accept the appointments.
This follows the board of aldermen rejecting (5-3) Mayor Chris Thornton’s appointments to committees as his first act as mayor, in May. Following that, Alderman Andy Leahy gave Thornton his suggested list of appointments. Thornton’s appointments stood.
Alderman Andy Leahy spoke first in the August meeting, in support of the bill.
“This year we found that when four of the five elected officials are rolled over in the election process that we lost some continuity in our committees and I’d like to see if we can avoid that,” Leahy said.
He said the mayor remains part of the process. “The mayor’s function is to run this board. He is not removed from this process. He’s just not making the decision who sits where on the four standing committees.”
Leahy said he’s wanted to do this for 14 years, but this is the first year he thought it would have the votes to pass. “I believe Mayor Thornton hasn’t done anything wrong whatsoever,” Leahy said.
“I’m bucking tradition big time,” he said, “but the intent is to try to get it to work for this board.”
Keith Slusser spoke against against the bill, saying it would work against getting the best people for the job in the committees.
David Plufka, an attorney, said it wouldn’t stand up to a court challenge for several reasons. “What the courts have been very clear about, is that there is nowhere… where the board of aldermen can singularly or collectively have the power to appoint,” he said. “It doesn’t exist, and every time it’s mentioned, it’s mentioned in regard to the office of mayor.”
Plufka said it would also make the board less accountable to their constituents because it takes away the power of the vote from residents if they don’t like the appointments, because the whole city votes for for the mayor, but not the president of the board.
Maureen Saunders said the bigger issue is that Brentwood needs to move away from being a class four city, putting the power in the hands of city staff so professionals are running the city, which would take politics out of committee appointments.
“We have the population to become a third class city or a home rule charter city,” she said. “Then appointments, if they’re employees, can be done through hiring process, versus appointing.”
Tom Kramer said the city in a different era. He said in the past the action of the mayor making appointments caused a concentration of power.
“We’re in an era where there is less of an opportunity for that concentration to take place,” he said. “(Bill) 5981 is to assure that diversity of representation. Give everybody a chance — one person from each ward — and I think that’s a good thing.”
Kramer, Leahy, Lochmoeller, Manestar and Saunders voted for the bill.
Plufka, Slusser, Toohey voted against it.
This was reported via the city of Brentwood broadcast of the meeting on YouTube.
Taxpayer- Come down off the cross, we need the lumber. Last time I checked Brentwood is located in the USA where we’re not required to “hold our tongue” nor is attending a church an indication of superiority. Next!
Anything that can be done to remove “power” from the mayor ends as better government for the average Brentwood resident, makes no difference if you “like” the mayor or not. If you’ve been around a while you’ll remember how things got as screwed up in Brentwood as they did and it started with 1 man appointing committee heads, attending every committee meeting and even more scary setting many of the agenda items for the B of A meetings.
Many Aldermen would show up for a meeting with their brown packets which included the agenda having never bothered to look at the information prior to the meeting. An item would come up during the meeting, the mayor would “explain” it then they’d have a 1st and second reading and then rubber stamp whatever the issue was. Nobody ever bothered to ask how an issue ended up on the agenda in the first place. It was a riot to watch.
Roll call please! Whup there it is; new law, ordinance, variance, shopping center, Tif, whatever!
Mr Completely…as an alderman, I always studied my meeting agendas and related information. If I had questions or concerns I sought answers prior to meetings. I always came prepared to vote one way or the other. The committee meetings were where the work was done, questions asked and answered, more information sought. The committee meetings are public meetings. I always felt the BOA meetings were not the place to debate the issues. All this should have been taken care prior to the meetings. As for taking away anything (power) from the mayor, why even have a mayor? The way good government works is checks and balances. The office of mayor has its powers and the office of alderman has its powers. Do we really want to have one side with all the power? As a community we will never agree 100 % with each other on all issues.
Ok M.M. then my criticism is not directed towards you. There’s no denying that in the recent past things were just too cozy between the Mayor, aldermen and every other volunteer or employee. Remember when the mayor made a laughing stock of his board by deciding that aldermen need not actually attend a meeting in person for there to be a quorum and they could vote on an issue by telephone. HA! Only in Brentwood.
If this does go to court, as it appears it will, it will cost our city a lot of money in the process. Thorton has not taken any power that he has not earned by being mayor. Even Leahy states that he has been pushing for this for 14 years (meaning this is the way it has been done for the last 14 years). Thorton didn’t change it, the board is now trying to.
The problem here is Brentwood citizens are uninformed. I have attended many of the meetings and they are embarrassing to any citizen who wants to see their tax dollars working. The people in office are simply infighting and wasting time. The meetings consist of two or so of the aldermen talking simply to hear their own voices and to make themselves feel important. Thorton is trying to clean up city hall and is trying to set up procedures to make the meetings meaningful. Unfortunately he is stuck working with a cohort of 5 who scheme before meetings, exchanging e-mails, phone calls, and texts, telling the others how to vote and what to do. Until this quorum is broken up Thorton’s hands are going to be tied. The puppeteer and her puppets need to be voted out! I am hoping the citizens pay close attention to these five and vote them out when the time comes.
I agree with who ever told Maureen to hold her tongue. Maureen, I will see you at church Sunday- St. Mary Magdalen
So for clarification, you have a lawyer on the BOA that says this will not hold up in court. If this is true, why are we waisting time with this legislation? Like it or not, the voters voted for this mayor, and entrusted him with the job of running the city. The mayor has very little power, the alderman have the vote, and the mayor has the power to recommend committees. The alderman have the ability to accept or not accept these committee assignments.
I have held my tongue on the heavy handed, overly authoritarian way the mayor was treating the BOA and through them, the People of Brentwood. The mayor usurped and seized power that really did not belong in the due process of running Brentwood City Hall. I am grateful that the BOA saw this and corrected it. I do not know WHO you schmoozed to get elected, but even the people who voted for you commented on the mayor’s failure at transparency and doing the will of the People through the BOA system. I congratulate the Board for reining in the delusional power that the mayor assigned to himself and had nothing to do with the best interests of the City. You can own the road with your hog, but do not bring it into the administration process of Brentwood. Thank you BOA for acting to right this wrong.
Maureen,
We all thank you for holding your tongue; perhaps you can continue to do that for a little longer, or how about forever?
Usurp = take power illegally; just how did the mayor do that? I must have missed it. PLEASE CLARIFY.
Your posts are poisonous, libellous and are aimed at fracturing this community; please find something more constructive to do with your time.
harumph!
Brentwood is great. Life is great. Let’s live it!
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