Councilman deems caucus group for black elected officials ‘racist’
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 11 p.m. (UPDATED with video, April 13, 2016, 5 p.m.) — A request to reimburse a Bardstown City councilwoman’s trip to a black elected officials conference turned into a discussion of racism and the appropriate use of training money for council members.
Near the end of Tuesday’s council meeting, Councilwoman Kecia Copeland asked the council to reconsider her request for reimbursement of the $504 she spent to attend the Spring Summit of the Kentucky Black Caucus for Local Elected Officials in Murray (KBC-LEO).
At the March 22 council meeting, Copeland explained that the summit would feature workshops on historic preservation. The council discussed her request but took no action. When questions were raised about the workshop content, the council later declined to fund the trip.
Tuesday night Copeland confirmed that workshops focused largely on historic preservation. She was the only city council member who attended the KBC-LEO event.
“I’m asking that you reconsider the request based on the information you have before you now,” she said, referring summit’s preservation presentations. Four buildings in one block in Bardstown — including the old black school house — are in need of preservation assistance, she said, and the information she brought back will be useful there and in other parts of town.
Councilman Bill Buckman said he refused to support the KBC-LEO, calling it “a racist, biased group.”
City the group’s bylaws, Buckman pointed out that only black politicians are allowed to be full members of the caucus.
“You need to read the bylaws,” he told Copeland. “The only way I could join is as an honorary member who did something exemplary for the black community.”
Honorary members have no voting rights and are in his words, “token members,” he said, adding that GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson had been quoted calling the Congressional black caucus a racist group.
Buckman said it was fine if Copeland wanted to use the KBC-LEO as a way to be a better black politician, but he would not vote to use taxpayer money to do so.
Copeland tried to respond but was called gaveled out of order by Mayor John Royalty.
“I think I have a right to address this,” she protested, objecting to Buckman’s suggestion that the KBC-LEO is a racist organization.
Royalty told Copeland she was trying to start an argument. City Attorney Tim Butler stopped the conversation and suggested the council move forward and vote on Copeland’s request.
Councilman Bobby Simpson restated his belief that the city’s preservation coordinator should go to preservation workshops since that’s her job. Copeland said that it was good information for elected officials to have.
Simpson said with the next year’s budget discussions now starting, it was important for the council to be conservative with the public’s money. “We need to look at how we spend their money,” he said.
“It’s about training, and its about education,” she said. “Yes we should be careful with the taxpayer’s money.”
The council has an annual contingency budget from which it can pay such expenses, she said.
Councilman Fred Hagan applauded any council member who was interested in attending trainings and conferences to learn to be a better elected official.
“I think its silly for the six of us to judge where a councilman wants to go for training,” he said. “We shouldn’t be trying to decide what one person should do. Its silly and I’m embarrassed to be part of it.”
The council approved by a 3-2 vote to reimburse Copeland’s expenses, with Councilman Buckman and Simpson voting no.
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