Former Troy Councilman critical of new Councilman; says Mayor must go

Letter to the Editor,

Council member Joe Art’s rant on disincorporation was not dead on, but a lie.

This is just one of numerous mistruths since he has taken his place on the City Council of Troy. The first lie was when he claimed he did not know who was putting up the illegal campaign signs around Troy. Another lie was claiming not to know about the recall, when Fran McCully personally called Joe and told him before signatures were gathered.

Another lie is he said the charges against Mayor Banning where invalid. I guess if you looked in Don Banning’s ever-fluid personal law book, they are invalid.

I brought the disincorporation MCA Law to the Council, gave them to Phil Fisher to give to Council members. This law was brought to my attention by a private citizen of Troy. There was never any discussion with the Council by me to invoke this law.

This process is an action that can be taken only if 15 percent of the city and 15 percent of the county think it is in the city’s best interest to place on the ballot.

This action is extreme and a safety net for cities that no longer see it in their interest to remain a city. The county would place sheriff deputies in Troy and the city would be turned over the county to handle all city functions, water, sewer, streets, police, etc.

When Joe Arts and Nathan White tell you there will be no police, fire, ambulance, etc., they are saying the Sheriff’s Department are incapable of handling the crime-ridden town of Troy. Or are they using this as a smoke-filled lie to save a mayor who has said our city charter does not mean anything and thinks the Council’s only function is to approve whatever he wants.

Mayor Banning has never worked with the Council. On the contrary, he has done everything in his power to avoid it. When you have to sue a mayor to get public information, this may be a clue there is trouble in river city! All the charges brought against the mayor are valid and can be proven.

My next issue is with the illustrious new police officer Nathan White, which by the way his picture-perfect résumé I hand-picked from the applications for city police positions.

Sometimes, when things are too good to be true, they are just that.

White claims they were harassed ever since the election, which is the kettle calling the stove black. John Clogston and I endured four months of lies and half-truths and slander at the hands of Nathan White, Shelley Garrison and Dave Norman, clearly in violation of the Hatch Act (you can Google this). It is in the personnel policy for our city under 26.0 political activity 26.4.

“It is the policy of the City of Troy to comply with the “Hatch Act,” 5USC 1502 (a).” If this happened anywhere else it would have met with immediate dismissal.

White is a two-year wonder of Troy and thinks he has the pulse of Troy.

In my opinion his ethics are poor and is clearly a political bomb-thrower who has his face where it does not belong.

Chief McLeod needs to have a close-up conversation in reference to White’s job description before our police department cripples their credibility any further than it already has.

Nathan White claims we have a good mayor. We do not have a good mayor. We have a good lawyer or had one until Joe Arts and Crystal Denton and tie-breaker mayor Banning fired him.

Mayor Banning hand-picked the new council members and White and other employees of Troy saw to it they got elected to office. In the slimiest way, their Chicago-type tactics are a testament to what extent these people will go to maintain their choke hold on this city.

At best this city is upside down and until our city Charter is validated as the peoples will, which by the way was voted in by the people of Troy to act as our law and constitution of the City of Troy, our problems will continue.

Mayor Banning refuses to accept our Charter as the will of the people, so, if he can not accept the Council and the will of the people as the legal players in city government then he has to go. I hope the citizens of Troy can see through the smoke screen that certain employees and the mayor have set up.

The citizens, we the people of Troy need to let them know we did not just fall off the turnip truck.

— Gary L. Rose

Former City Council Member