Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for January 7, 2006 AGREEMENT ON SEWERS

...but that's all, folks!

Boycotting Cairo City Council members DID attend a Special Meeting on Friday...a Special Meeting that THEY called because they couldn't/wouldn't attend the Thursday meeting called by the Mayor. The Mayor also attended the Special Meeting.

The application for the $500,000 sewer grant was passed...unanimously.

That done...the Mayor walked out...refusing to participate in what he said was improper and illegal business since the remaining items were scheduled for the next regular meeting of the Council...the meeting that the boycotting Council members will not be attending due to their pledge to boycott.

Hmmmmm...maybe instead of worrying about not having City Council meetings because the majority of the Council members are pledging to boycott...we are going to see "double meetings"...the ones the Mayor calls and the ones that the Council calls. I guess that IS an argument for continuing to pay the boycotting members their $600 a month plus benefits.

From today's Southern Illinoisan...

Controversy continues on Cairo City Council

BY BECKY MALKOVICH
THE SOUTHERN

CAIRO - With police flanking the exit, the Cairo City Council did finally find something members could agree upon during a special meeting held Friday and unanimously passed a resolution in support of a sewer grant application.

But any warm, fuzzy feelings disappeared when, after a vote on the resolution was taken, Mayor Paul Farris declined to bring up the other items on the meeting's agenda. Farris attempted to adjourn the meeting and then left the room.

After Farris left, council member Bobby Whitaker led the council through the remainder of the agenda, which included approval of January payroll.

Farris said he was forced to abandon his seat at the head of the council table because "I can't control what people want to do that is outside the law." Farris contends any action taken by the council other than that concerning the grant application was "illegal, frivolous and a waste of time," because all the other items could - and should - be taken up at the next regularly scheduled meeting Jan. 10, he said.

However, Whitaker and three other council members - Linda Jackson, Elbert "Bo" Purchase and Sandra Tarver - won't be at that meeting. The four announced Dec. 27 that they would boycott all meetings of the council until Farris voluntarily resigned his post because the mayor acted as a dictator and thwarted their efforts to serve as the city's elected representatives.

After Friday's meeting, Whitaker said the four are standing by that announcement and would boycott future meetings. He said the majority council members may continue to conduct business in specially called meetings like Friday's that Farris is more than welcome to attend.

"We've got a city to run, but when you're trying to do something positive and you constantly get interference, nothing's going to come out positive," said Whitaker, who plans to run for mayor in the next election.

The only way to end the problems plaguing the council, Whitaker said, is "to talk to people. Be honest and straight up. That's all you have to do."

Farris, on the other hand, said an end to controversy may come only with a special election. "Hopefully the citizens of Cairo will have seen the dilemma when people get placed in positions of authority that misuse that authority, take it lightly. One of my pledges is to petition the courts for a special election. They've abandoned their offices. They have stated and signed off on a document that said they would not attend any more regular scheduled meetings," Farris said.

Lifelong Cairo resident Suzy Holland began circulating a petition Friday asking the mayor to proclaim that the four have forfeited their seats on the council and to withhold all further compensation, benefits and other rights and privileges the four may enjoy.

In particular, Holland said, she wants the four to stop receiving recompense for a job they have vowed to stop doing. "They are getting paid $600 a month and two retirements and don't forget their health insurance. This is legal and it is binding," she said of the petition.

"There are enough people in Cairo right now that are fighting mad enough to get the job done and we will get the job done."

From today's Southeast Missourian...

Suzy Holland, a member of Concerned Citizens for the Recovery of Cairo, got into an argument with Councilman Bobby Whitaker after the council meeting. Whitaker asked for police assistance when Holland tried to block him from leaving the meeting room.

Boycotting council, mayor meet briefly

MATT SANDERS ~ Southeast Missourian

Both sides in the dispute claim authority over Cairo city affairs.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Friday's special meeting called by the four boycotting members of the Cairo City Council didn't last long -- only about five minutes.

Mayor Paul Farris didn't even stay that long, not wanting to preside over what he called an illegal meeting.

"They have no standards they follow," Farris said. "There are so many things that have not been done right."

On Dec. 27, four members of the city council -- Bobby Whitaker, Elbert "Bo" Purchase, Sandra Tarver and Linda Jackson -- issued a statement saying they would no longer attend meetings called by Farris.

Both Farris and the boycotting council -- a majority of the six-member body -- claim authority over city affairs, creating two competing government bodies in the town of about 3,600.

On Thursday Farris called an emergency meeting to approve an application for a sewer grant. The only council member to attend was Carolyn Ponting.

In response the four boycotting members called their own meeting on Friday to approve the grant application, to approve payment of the city payroll (except for department heads hired by Farris who haven't had council approval), to approve payment of a city loan and to pass a motion to prevent Farris from entering the city into any more lawsuits without council approval.

Farris showed up at the meeting to preside over the vote on the grant, but then left. He contends the meeting is illegal because there was more than one item on the agenda and because several of the items weren't emergency items.

Terry Mutchler with the Illinois attorney general's office said the meeting can be held without the mayor and any item can be discussed and voted on as long as an agenda was posted 48 hours before the meeting.

Silence fell over the room as the mayor took his seat, with no talk between him and the council members. Police officers stood just outside the chamber door waiting for an altercation to break out.

The council approved the grant application 4-0, the mayor signed off on it and immediately instructed City Clerk Debran Sudduth to deliver the paperwork to the Southern Five Regional Planning Agency in Grand Chain, Ill.

"I'm waiting for a motion to adjourn," Farris said after Sudduth left. The four council members, however, were not ready to make that motion. Instead, they passed a motion for Jackson to act as clerk.

"Are you acting as a clerk?" Farris asked Jackson, who replied that she was. At that point, Farris left the meeting and a motion was passed to have Whitaker preside.

Some members of the audience could be heard muttering, "This is illegal."

The four council members quickly addressed the other items on the agenda with little to no discussion, passing each item 4-0. After five minutes it was over, but the conflict wasn't.

Whitaker stood up after the meeting to address the collected audience and members of the news media.

"This city is getting torn apart, and this is one example," Whitaker said. "We've got a life commitment in this community, and we're here to protect this community."

As Purchase left the room, he compared Farris' governing style to Stalinist Russia. "We're under a dictatorship," Purchase said.

While the boycotting council members' nemesis Farris had already left the meeting room, one of the mayor's supporters stuck around to trade harsh words with Whitaker.

Suzy Holland, a Farris supporter and member of community action group Concerned Citizens for the Recovery of Cairo, stood near the room's exit. Holland had a petition in her hand calling for the ouster of the four boycotting council members.

Holland called Whitaker a liar, and the councilman responded it was none of her business.

"This is my business," said Holland.

As Whitaker tried to leave the room, Holland blocked him and argued, at which time he warned her "don't get in my way."

After Whitaker left, Holland continued to express her anger at the boycotting four.

"This has been going on for so long," said Holland. "I cry at church on Sunday because we can't get anywhere. Am I tired of it? Hell yes! I'm tired of four people running this town."

Holland accused council members of corruption and being part of political machines. Holland said Farris is not party to the corruption, but a reformer trying to clean up government.

Farris, Holland and other Farris supporters say the conflict boils down to party politics -- Farris is a Republican and the four boycotting council members are Democrats. Holland said the Concerned Citizens group is fighting a Democratic machine.

"You don't know the crime and corruption in this town," the shaken Holland said after Whitaker left.

Whitaker denies any political motivation other than also wanting to clean up the government corruption.

"Politics has nothing to do with it," Whitaker said. "It has to do with what is right and what's lawfully right."

Farris and his supporters accuse Jackson of being illegally appointed by to her council seat and Whitaker of stuffing ballots in his last election.

Whitaker said a court case disputing his election was thrown out, which Farris confirms, and that Jackson's appointment was completely legal.

Farris is currently trying to get a court to remove the four boycotting council members. The four members are trying to get state and federal investigators to audit city government.

But with Farris' term lasting until 2007, it appears the deadlock will continue until one side is removed from power.

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