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Bardstown City Council’s vote to investigate the mayor fails in 3-3 tie

 

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, May 3, 2016, 10 p.m. (UPDATED, added video, May 5, 2016, 10 a.m.) — The Bardstown City Council’s vote to begin an investigation of Mayor John Royalty failed Tuesday evening in a 3-3 tie.

Because the vote was about the mayor, he could not vote to break the tie, so the motion to investigate the mayor failed.

The council decided a week ago to hold a special meeting Tuesday in order to consider an investigation regarding the police department restructuring initiated by Royalty and if it there was wrongdoing or misconduct by the mayor.

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City Attorney Tim Butler reads from a letter he received from the Kentucky League of Cities at Tuesday’s special council meeting.

The vote followed the council’s sometimes heated discussion about the merits of launching an investigation.

Prior to the council’s discussion, City Attorney Tim Butler read a letter he received from Kentucky League of Cities regarding the mayor’s restructuring, and the advice the mayor was given in March.

Councilwoman Kecia Copeland pointed to inconsistent statements by the mayor to the media regarding the restructuring, and a lack of answers the council has presented regarding the move.

The mayor has repeatedly said he couldn’t talk specifics about the issue because of confidentiality rules. Why did the mayor claim the details of the promotions and demotions were confidential if they weren’t also tied to KRS 15.520 (the police officer’s bill of rights), she asked.

“What I’m asking is this: We have no more answers today than we had a week ago,” Copeland said. “To skip over the chief of police in a restructuring … what’s the motivation? What’s the motivation of the promotions and demotions?”

“If we do nothing today, we are accepting that what was done was appropriate,” she said. “Inaction is an action.”

Copeland questioned if the restructuring plan wasn’t just a disguise for the demotions and promotions. “Why should we make an assumption that what the mayor says is true?”

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Councilwoman Kecia Copeland argues in favor of an investigation of Mayor John Royalty’s restructuring of the Bardstown Police Department.

“As council members we owe it to the public to do the right thing,” she said. “this is a simple request to investigate, to calm the waters of our town.”

“If the mayor is right, he’s right,” she said. “but if he’s wrong, the people deserve to hear that, they deserve to know.”

It appears the mayor simple did things the way he wanted without regard for his chief, she said, because his statements to the media said more about

The mayor’s claims of confidentiality — and then vague statements about officer misconduct — only raise more questions about the true reasons behind the restructuring, she said.

The mayor “has made clear-cut decisions that have devastated our community,” she said.

With all the controversy regarding the police department Copeland questioned its impact on morale and the city’s ability to recruit a new chief of police.

Councilman Bill Buckman told the council he supported the city police and their rights under the police officer’s bill of rights.

“If officers have a complaint, they need to go through the proper channels,” he said.

Buckman said he would not agree to support an investigation of the mayor with taxpayer dollars.

IMG_6978“I think its a divided council that has a personal agenda against this mayor,” he said.

Councilman Francis Lydian said he supported an investigation of the mayor, saying the council’s safety committee was left out of the discussion.

“I want to find out who is right and who is wrong,” he said. “Let’s clear the air.”

Councilman Bobby Simpson said he did not favor an investigation in light of the KLC’s letter warning of the possibility the investigation could open up the city to additional litigation. The risk is high just to clear the air, he told the council.

“My vote is always to vote in the best interest of the people of Bardstown,” he said. “It may not be the most popular vote, but its always been and will always be for the rights of the people of Bardstown,” he said.

Councilman Roland Williams was critical of Royalty’s record as mayor since he took office, citing angry constituents attending council meetings early in his administration, and angry constituents attending the most recent council meeting. Williams said he did not agree with the mayor’s management style.

“Your ‘do it now and apologize later philosophy,’ well I don’t agree with that,” Williams said, adding that he also did not agree with the police restructuring.

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COUNCILMAN FRED HAGAN.

While he said he had reservations about starting an investigation, he would support moving forward with an investigation to get past the issue.

“To use a cliché, I want the sun to shine bright on My Old Kentucky Home,” he said. “It hasn’t been shining now for quite some time.”

Councilman Fred Hagan said the only issue before the council was to determine if the mayor’s actions warranted an investigation.

“We don’t the authority to investigate an elected official because we want to clear the air, or because we want answers, or because we didn’t like the way something happened,” he said. “It seems clear that in this case, any misconduct would fall under the officers bill of rights,” he said.

“It feels good for us as elected officials to do something people want us to do,” he said. “But I would suggest we back away from this.”

On Copeland’s motion to initiate the investigation, Copeland, Lydian and Williams voted in favor, while Hagan, Buckman and Simpson voted against.

After the vote, Copeland said that the mayor’s claims of confidentiality about the police restructuring still make it appear that the officers’ rights may have been violated.

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