Council debates turn into referendum on mayor and council’s performance

City council candidates, from left: Dick Heaton, Joe Buckman, Freddy Riggs, Kecia Copeland, Rick Molyneaux, Bill Buckman, David Erickson and Lee Evans, wait for the first debate to begin at the Nelson County Civic Center Tuesday evening.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, 2:30 a.m. — While Mayor John Royalty won’t be  on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, Tuesday night’s city council debates at times sounded like a referendum on the mayor’s performance and effectiveness — or the perceived lack thereof.

The 16 candidates for council were broken into two groups of eight for back-to-back one-hour debates broadcast by PLG-TV from the Nelson County Civic Center.

John S. Kelley Jr. shows a chart illustrating occupational tax revenue while he answers a question during Tuesday’s city council debate.

The first debate featured candidates Dick Heaton, Joe Buckman, Freddy Riggs, Kecia Copeland, Rick Molyneaux, Bill Buckman, David Erickson and Lee Evans.

The second debate featured candidates Bill Sheckles, Roland “Coach Roe” Williams, David Dones, Frank Thompson, John Kelley Jr, Francis Lydian and Richard Nest.

GRADING THE MAYOR & COUNCIL. When asked to assign a letter grade to the performance of the current mayor and the council over the past two years, the candidates answers varied widely, though the majority were critical of the mayor — the council less so — over the lack of cooperation between them.

Lee Evans said she would give both a “C” due to what she saw as some council members having “personal or political agendas.” David Erickson agreed with Evans’ letter grade, adding that the mayor and council have not worked well together as they should.

Bill Buckman would not give a letter grade because every administration operates differently. Buckman said this mayor has tackled issues previous mayors have not. “The council has to learn to work together,” he said. Buckman said a lot of friction was created “when the wrong mayor was elected” two years ago. Despite the divisions among the council members, the mayor and council still accomplished a lot in the past two years, he said.

Rick Molyneaux said he would give the Mayor Royalty a failing grade. Citing the police department firings earlier this year and removing the city-owned bleachers from Dean Watts Park when the joint recreation program ended, Molyneaux said the mayor was “acting like a dictator rather than a mayor.”

Councilwoman Kecia Copeland responds to a question during the debate.

Kecia Copeland gave the mayor a D- grade due to a lack of transparency, trust and a lack of professionalism among other issues.

Freddy Riggs said he believed the community would give the council and mayor a failing grade after approving a budget with a deficit and doubling the occupational tax rate.

Joe Buckman said he would give the mayor an A for his energy and openness. He also would give several council members an A grade for their hard work serving the citizens. But in regard to several other issues — including transparency, budget issues and competence — he would give much lower grades.

“A lot of that could have been avoided if the mayor and council members could have worked together.”

Dick Heaton said the debate was about running for city council and would not grade the mayor. Voters will have the opportunity to grade the council on election day, he said. “People are wanting change and they’re not happy with how the city council has performed,” he said. “They’re looking for people who can be more civil in their discussions when they agree and disagree.”

Richard Nest gave the mayor and council a D- grade, citing past personnel issues involving former chiefs Rick McCubbin and Marlin Howard. Francis Lydian would not give a grade, but admitted the council can improve its effectiveness by working together.

John Kelley Jr. also would not offer a letter grade, though he agreed the council and mayor have not gotten along. “We do not need personality conflicts on the council,” he said. “We need open and honest communication between the mayor and council.”

Bill Sheckles makes his opening statement at Tuesday’s council debate.

Frank Thompson and David Dones did not grade the council either, and both agreed that personality conflicts were impacting the council’s effectiveness, and working together is critical to effective government.

Roland “Coach Roe” Williams said he could not give the mayor a passing grade for his first two years. He cited the mayor’s absence from the Martin Luther King Jr. program, police deaprtment restructuring, walking out of meetings, etc. The council has done a good job “but we’ve been hit with one surprise after another and it makes it difficult.”

Bill Sheckles was critical of Mayor Royalty for lacking leadership and transparency as well as the council’s lack of effectiveness. Sheckles said the election will allow voters to bring some experience and leadership back to the council.

MAKING CITY GOVERNMENT MORE EFFECTIVE. Most of the council members pointed to some aspect of their experience that they believe would be useful in improving the ability of the council to have a better working relationship with the mayor. Nearly all of the candidates sought a return to a more civil relationship between council and mayor.

Dick Heaton makes his closing statement at the end of Tuesday’s council meeting.

Heaton pointed to his experience as former councilman and mayor; Riggs called the council-mayor relationship dysfunctional, and said the solution is to elect a council that can work together adding that his experience as a mediator would be a help.

Molyneaux said the city was out of control and unable to live within its budget. He called for reducing spending and to heal the broken relationships between the city and county governments.

Copeland said more transparency and better communication are keys to better government. Buckman said a council is needed that will work together and better protect the interests of city residents. Evans agreed, adding that sometimes it is necessary to agree to disagree and reach a consensus regarding issues facing the city. Erickson said that electing the right council members is important to creating a better city council.

Sheckles said in the council and mayor relationships, personalities and egos can get in the way.

Sheckles noted that as mayor, he was criticized for not being transparent, not listening to the council and not building consensus.

“I’m out of office two years, and you can see what’s happened,” he said. “I don’t think it was me that was causing the lack of transparency, cooperation or getting things done.”

Williams said he has always voted how he believed he should, and that he’s always been able to get along with people and treat them “with courtesy, professionalism and respect.”

Thompson suggested the council members check their egos at the door in order to solve the city’s problems.

Kelley also pointed to respect and honesty as key to good government. “I hope the mayor has learned that a lack of communication with council can be harmful,” he said. Lydian agreed that the council must look at every topic with an open mind and base decisions on what is best with the community.

Nest said he didn’t see a big split among the council members, and called on the mayor and council to put the city’s progress ahead of personal differences.

In his closing statement Sheckles highlighted the importance of taking an active role in this election.

“This election will probably be the most important in our lifetimes, he said. “Our nation and our community are at a crossroads. We can sit at home and do nothing, or we can get off our rusty dusties and go the polls and vote.”

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