Mayor opts not to re-appoint Human Rights Commission chair Kathy Reed

HRC Chair Kathy Reed, center, leads a recent meeting of the Bardstown-Nelson County Human Rights Commission.

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Friday, March 4, 2016, 5 p.m. — The longtime chair and a 30-year member of the Bardstown-Nelson Human Rights Commission will not be reappointed.

KATHY REED

Bardstown Mayor John Royalty said Friday his decision not to reappoint HRC chair Kathy Reed was based on having an opportunity to increase the commission’s diversity by appointing a member of Hispanic descent.

In Reed’s place, Royalty is appointing Dulce Salas of Bardstown. The second new commission member is Mary Jane Greenwell.

The other three city commission appointments are current commissioners Mike Yaden, Michael Johnson and Carrie Stivers. All five appointments are on the Bardstown City Council’s agenda for approval Tuesday evening.

Royalty said the recent debate regarding the commission’s vote to donate commission funds to the Flint Water Challenge was not a factor in his decision.

Reed has been a member of the commission since 1986.

Royalty said he and City Clerk Barbie Bryant plan to meet with the new commission for training in regard to Robert’s Rules of Order and the duties of the commission treasurer.

DONATION DEBATE. The human rights commission made headlines recently after it voted at its February meeting to approve a $250 donation to the Flint, Mich. Water Challenge. Commission member Michael Johnson suggested that the donation from the commissions funding — provided by city and county government — may not be a proper use of public money.

After discussion among members of the commission, Reed called for a vote. The commission approved the donation with Johnson casting the sole “no” vote.

After the meeting, Johnson contacted Bardstown City Attorney Tim Butler about the matter, who advised against use of the commission’s public funding for the water challenge donation. The commission members agreed — outside of its meeting — to make individual donations to the water challenge effort.

APPOINTMENT CONFUSION. Due to confusion regarding the date the city members’ appointments expired, the members of the commission believed they did not have a quorum when they met Tuesday, March 1.

Reed and other city appointees said they believed their appointments expired on the last day of February, and as city appointees, they could not be counted as members for the purpose of determining a quorum.

Four of the five county appointees attended the March 1 meeting, one short of the five members required for a quorum.

Royalty said Tuesday night that the human rights commission members’ appointments were valid until midnight March 1, thus the city appointees were valid members and the commission actually did meet the requirements for a quorum.

The commission’s regular meetings are held at noon on the first Tuesday of every month at the main branch of the Nelson County Public Library.

-30-