Troy resident says there is a political agenda in seeking the recall of Mayor Banning

Letter to the Editor,

Council member Joe Art’s recent letter to the editor is dead on! 

The city of Troy, the Troy Police Department, the city workers and the citizens are under attack by two senior council members (Phil Fisher and Fran McCully) and local attorney Heather McDougall.  These people do NOT have the best interest of the city at heart.

For them it is all about power and control.

These people recently circulated a petition to recall Mayor Banning.  As Joe pointed out, the allegations on the petition are not valid. 

Not only was the petition misleading, they were getting people who weren’t even registered voters to sign it.  Phil Fisher was one of the people circulating the petition, and if Mayor Banning is removed, their plan is to appoint Mr. Fisher as the new mayor. (Does anyone see a conflict of interest here?)

Ms. McDougall, who was also circulating the petition, doesn’t even live in the city limits of Troy.

The two new council members (Joe Arts and Crystal Denton) didn’t even know about this petition until the citizens told them. 

They weren’t consulted about this or asked their opinion.  The two rogue council members and their attorney took it upon themselves.  This is a perfect example of how they operate. 

They are NOT team players.  No wonder the mayor, police department and city workers have so much trouble with them.

These same people have repeatedly refused to work with the mayor, held a potentially illegal council meeting, voted on the city budget during this meeting in the mayor’s absence, tried to sneak resolutions through to be codified, refused to listen to the hiring committee’s recommendation for hiring the new city attorney, and frequently held secret meetings at Fran’s house. 

These people have consistently tried to advance their agenda covertly, because they know they can’t do it legitimately. 

They have to skirt the laws and find loop holes to sneak things through.

These people also tried to intimidate Joe Arts and Crystal Denton during the city council election, by threatening them with groundless legal action, and again tried to file a complaint against them with the election board after the election. 

These frivolous suits were, of course, found to be invalid, and were quickly shot down.  It’s obvious that they are sore losers and will not work well with the new council members to move the city forward.  They simply don’t play well with others (the mayor, the police department, the city workers, other council members or the citizens).

These are also the same people you can thank for eliminating the Troy Animal Control Officer position.

Now, these people are pushing to unincorporate the city!  Like Joe said in his letter, this would potentially mean No Police Department, No Fire Department, No Emergency Medical Services and No City Workers (the people who plow the streets, and restore your electricity during power outages).  Good, hard working people, who have dedicated themselves to the service of the community, will be without jobs, and the citizens will be without their services.

Mr. Fisher and Ms. McDougall have told several citizens of Troy that they plan on getting rid of Police Chief Bob McLeod and me. 

We believe that’s because we stood up to them on several occasions and verbally supported Joe and Crystal during the election.  I also wrote a rebuttal Letter to the Editor which corrected several inaccuracies in a letter they put in the paper.  I made them look bad, and now my head’s on the chopping block.

Now we feel that they are retaliating against us and are out for revenge.  We have been harassed by them ever since the election.  We feel that they are watching over our shoulders, just waiting for  an excuse to terminate us. 

And if they can’t come up with one, they will just unincorporate the city and eliminate the whole police department.  Problem solved.

The Troy Police Department has worked hard over the past two years to gain the trust and respect of the community and to reduce crime.  We have tried to give the citizens the kind of police force that they really wanted and deserved.  And now, these people are attempting to undo everything we have accomplished. 

When I came here, I took an oath to protect the citizens of Troy from crime and corruption.  That includes local governmental corruption, and I intend to do just that! 

We have stood up for the citizens of Troy, now we’re asking for the citizens to stand behind us. We can’t do it alone. 

We need the support of the community.  I urge the citizens to come to the city council meetings, let the council know what you want, let them know that they work for YOU, and let them know that their poor decisions and controlling mentality will NOT be tolerated any longer. 

Tell everyone you know, and write Letters to the Editor.  

I also urge the people who were misled by inaccurate accusations on the petition against Mayor Banning to contact the election board and request that their names be removed.

Mayor Banning has tried to work with these people, he has supported the police department and the city workers, and he has worked hard to advance the city of Troy. 

The only thing he is guilty of is standing up to unethical and power hungry city council members.  These council members are the ones that need to be recalled, and I’ve heard plans are in the works for that.

We have a good mayor, a dedicated police department and two new, motivated council members who are team players and who will work with the mayor. 

This is a great opportunity for the city of Troy.  Please take a stand and help put an end to this nonsense!

— Nathan White

Proudly serving the Citizens

of Troy