Troy City Council's Jones resigns
After maintaining impartiality
throughout most of the past tumultuous year between the Troy City
Council and mayor, councilwoman Loretta Jones has called it
quits.
She turned in her letter of resignation
on Sunday, effective immediately, citing the way in which Mayor Don
Banning is handling a recent issue with the council as her reason
for leaving.
Jones served on the council for three
terms, took a five-year break, and was then appointed nearly one
year ago.
Mayor and council opposition began as
early as last January when Banning filled the mayor’s seat and
three new council members took office. Fran McCully and Phil Fisher
ran unopposed for the two open spots and Gary Rose was appointed to
replace Banning on the council. Larry Coryell, who was finishing
out his term, quit only weeks after Banning took office following
disagreements with the new mayor. Jones took Coryell’s place.
Jones participated with other council
members last August in a meeting walk-out to protest the mayor,
whom they accused of denying their agenda items and failing to keep
them informed of city business. She has also been the lone opponent
of the council’s recent controversial measures. Jones has kept
quiet through the months, rarely speaking to the press about
hostilities between the two sides.
She had no comment about her
resignation letter, which referenced an investigation launched at
Banning’s request by the Lincoln County’s Sheriff’s Office.
“I find that his new issue involving my
fellow council person and bribery is being handled in a completely
ridiculous and unbelievable manner,” her letter read. “This is
unacceptable to me. As long as issues continue to be addressed in
this way, the governing of this town will be just a farce.”
Banning asked law enforcement to
investigate McCully for allegedly attempting to bribe the Cruzers
Car Club to favor an ordinance placing restrictions on the
Old-Fashioned Fourth of July event at Roosevelt Park. He also
accused the council of tampering with meeting minutes.
“She (Jones) said it’s unacceptable the
way it’s being handled,” Banning said, “but it’s being handled
according to law.”
The bribery claim stemmed from $500 in
cash that McCully gave Bob Welch of the car club. Both deny the
bribery accusation, and McCully said the transaction was a joke
that has been taken out of context.
Welch reportedly spoke with McCully in
October about the council’s plan to ban outside food and drink at
the Fourth of July event, part of an ordinance that the council
eventually passed in December and that the mayor plans to veto at
next week’s meeting. Welch told McCully that he vehemently opposed
the idea since car show participants must pack a cooler to provide
refreshment as they sit with their vehicles all day on the Fourth
of July.
McCully assured Welch that he and other
car show participants wouldn’t be cited for packing a lunch – an
offense that would carry a fine of up to $500 and jail time up to
six months. She reportedly said that she was so confident that she
would pay the fine if any car show participants were cited.
The following month, she handed Welch
an envelope with five crisp $100 bills to put in his club’s
treasury. The outside of the envelope contained a printout of a
Monopoly “Get out of jail free” card.
“I said, well I’ll put my money where
my mouth is,” McCully recalled. “… I told him, on July 5 of next
year you will give it back to me because no member of your car club
is going to be fined $500.”
Welch returned the money after the
council amended the draft ordinance to allow an exception for car
show participants and vendors. Welch continues to oppose the
ordinance – and club members agreed to boycott the event – but he
denies that McCully bribed him.
“Some people in the car club think she
did it to make the car club back off,” he said. “As far as I’m
concerned, I don’t think in my mind that it was hush money.”
Banning also asked the sheriff’s office
to investigate a digital recording of a Nov. 19 council work
session that contained gaps. The council, excluding Jones, used the
recorder so that the clerk, who wasn’t in attendance, could later
produce meeting minutes.
McCully said that shutting off the
recorder during parts of the meeting was a mistake, but believes
accusing her or the council of criminal wrongdoing is
out-of-hand.
Jones agreed, calling the mayor’s
request for an investigation “unacceptable.” She quit because she
has not been able to bridge the divide between council and
mayor.
“I feel I can no longer be a part of
this ongoing problem,” she said in her resignation letter. “I no
longer believe I can be of help in any way that would be beneficial
to our town.”
The council must appoint a candidate to
fill the vacancy within 30 days of the resignation, according to
the city charter. The individual chosen to replace Jones will serve
out the rest of the year, and then the position will be go up for a
vote in this fall’s election.