Roll continues to lie about misdeeds

Letter to the Editor:

I find myself in a position I didn’t want to be in, pushing the recall of Libby Mayor Doug Roll. But in order for Libby to become what I want it to become, what the people of this city deserve it to become, this is a necessary step.

The mayor, Doug Roll, has made our city the laughing stock of Montana. He continues to abuse his position and steamroll anyone who dares to oppose, or even question, him. If we are going to move forward, we need to remove the Doug Roll roadblock from our city government.

The mayor has recently taken to the media to argue his case, but all he’s supplied is more of his lies. 

“I never appointed Dave Tennant as city attorney, period,” Roll said in a letter to one area paper. 

But the facts clearly prove the lie in that statement. Roll administered Tennant’s oath of office February 11. He wasn’t sworn in as “interim” city attorney or “temporary” city attorney. Both he and Roll signed the oath of office of Libby City Attorney. 

Not that the time period even matters. The city charter doesn’t say the mayor can appoint a city attorney for a week, or a month without consent. 

Roll also claims his April 1 meeting with council members Dejon Raines, Brian Zimmerman and Peggy Williams was not illegal, because three members of the council don’t qualify as a quorum.

He’s partly right. Three members don’t, but Roll represents the fourth member of a seven person body and that makes a quorum. It doesn’t matter that the mayor can only vote to break a tie in council, he can still vote, which makes him a voting member of the council. Notice of that meeting should have been posted in public and minutes recorded and entered into the official record. Instead, the mayor defends his unconscionable action by attempting to smear the paper and the journalist who reported the facts of the matter and by belittling the two council members who expressed their concern.

For shame, Mr. Mayor. For shame.

I have re-filed the petition for a recall of Mayor Roll. I did this not to make a statement, but because it’s the only way to get our city back on track. The support I’ve received from people in Libby has been overwhelming, which will become obvious once we start circulating the petition for signatures. To each and every one of you, I offer my thanks and my commitment to work to make Libby the place we all want it to be.

Tammy Brown,

Libby