Social media discussions led to rally Sunday to protest mayor’s actions
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Friday, April 22, 2016, 3:30 p.m. — Bardstown and Nelson County residents upset about Mayor John Royalty’s restructuring of the Bardstown Police Department and the decision of its chief to retire in its wake have organized a protest rally for 6 p.m. Sunday at the Nelson County Justice Center parking lot.
MAYOR JOHN ROYALTY
Bardstown resident Casey Lowe has led the charge on social media to organize the event. Members of the local community were angered to learn of the restructuring, which was done without Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin’s input and ultimately led to his decision to retire.
The protest idea began with a single Facebook post Lowe made Saturday, April 16. That original post was shared more than 300 times and received more than 180 likes. It was subsequently shared dozens of times by those who shared it.
That post led quickly to creation of a Facebook event page with invitations to hundreds of people to attend and a Facebook discussion group.
According to Lowe’s original post, the rally’s goal is to get the Bardstown City Council’s support to recall the mayor “and set Bardstown back on track for success.”
Social media erupted in protest after people learned of the restructuring plan; McCubbin’s decision to retire in its wake escalated the already-angry comments directed toward the city’s mayor.
A petition asking the city council for a vote of no confidence in the mayor is being drafted, and some are calling for a show of support for McCubbin at the council’s meeting Tuesday evening.
Several memes — images containing text used to make a point — critical of Royalty continue to be circulated on social media.
TV INTERVIEW. Royalty addressed the controversy and the planned protest in an interview Wednesday, April 20 with Central Kentucky TV Channel 6.
“I just as soon we’d handled this without individuals beating the drums and getting people together for a protest,” he said of the ongoing controversy.
Royalty was critical of social media users who are making their voices heard.
“I think its unfortunate that you’re doing it to Bardstown,” he said. “You can do it to me, but what everyone else is doing is hurting the City of Bardstown.”
Royalty said he cannot tell the entire story about what’s has been going on in the city police department due to state law and the policeman’s bill of rights, which establishes procedures for the handling of complaints about officers, both from inside a department and from the public in general.
While Royalty said there was no wrongdoing in the department, he did say he was looking at time sheets and how police officers are treating members of the public.
Royalty denied that the police restructuring, demotions or promotions were connected with his past as a member of the Bardstown Police Department or his subsequent lawsuit against the city.
His decision to promote McKenzie Mattingly to a leadership position is an effort to bring the skills he has as a member of the regional drug task force to bear on the drug problem in Bardstown.
“You guys on Facebook, you’re misinformed on everything,” he said. “You have got to understand what you are doing to the City of Bardstown. It’s wrong.”
Royalty said his decisions as mayor aren’t done in a vacuum, and that he consults with a core group of people inside city hall.
In regard to the local newspaper’s recent editorial blasting him, Royalty said his record as a council member speaks for itself.
The police department issue could have been handled better — on both sides, Royalty said.
“That’s in the past and we have to move forward,” he said.
OPEN LETTER TO COMMUNITY. In an open letter to Bardstown residents, Royalty writes that during his 16 months in office, he has been doing what he was elected to do — examine problems and solve them.
He says changes to the city’s recreation department and fire department were decisions that benefited the city. “In both cases, the City is in a stronger position and can now proceed with what is truly in the best interests of our citizens.”
The next item he is examining is the city’s role in the joint city-county 911 dispatch center, calling it “another area where the City has paid much more that we should have.”
A special meeting of the city council’s safety committee Monday includes a contract for dispatch services and its impact on the city’s budget.
In his letter, Royalty states he is addressing issues that have been “kicked down the road for years,” requiring him now to address them.
To those who wish to protest, Royalty asked them “to withhold judgement until all the facts are known.”
He ended his letter with an invitation to concerned residents to visit his office at City Hall.
“My open door policy is more than a slogan.”
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