Council members frustrated with mayor's obstructionism

Four members of the Libby City Council are expressing frustration and disappointment with the mayor’s decision to cancel a working meeting of the City Council scheduled for Monday, March 21.

Libby Mayor Doug Roll sent an email to all members of the City Council and the City Attorney informing them he felt the working meeting of the council would be a violation of Montana law and the City Charter.

“I would remind council that by City Charter and Montana Code, the Mayor is the only authority that can call a council meeting, (meeting defined by MCA 2-3-202 a quorum of council, 4 or more council members in our case,will hear, discuss or act upon issues that it has jurisdiction over),” he wrote. “No council member has authority to call a meeting of a quorum, no matter their title (Council President in this case). Council President, by City Charter’s only power, is to chair council meetings if the Mayor is absent. Your attendance at tonight’s meeting is your choice, keeping in mind that it would be contrary to City Charter and Montana Code.”

His message left several members of the council in confusion. 

“I don’t even know where to start,” said Council President Brent Teske. “It’s very disappointing and discouraging that he’s hindering any type of process for the council to become more informed about some upcoming issues. There is just no reason for this.”

Teske said he suggested the solution to the problem would be for Roll to just call the meeting. He said Roll’s response was that it was also his job to set the agenda, and that he wasn’t sure he was happy with the items Teske had placed on the agenda.

City Clerk and Treasurer Audray McCollum emailed the agenda to the members of the council on Friday, March 18. A copy was also posted at city hall Friday morning. The agenda included an update from the streets committee regarding chip sealing and paving projects for the 2016 season, a review of the building committee meeting regarding security upgrades for the space leased to the Department of Revenue and the rebuilding of the roof on the fire hall, review and revisions of the council’s policy and procedure manual and, contingent upon his availability, an introduction and question and answer session with the interim City Attorney, David Tennant, who was appointed by Roll Feb. 3, but who has yet to be confirmed, or even introduced, to the council.

Councilman Allen Olsen, who has been a vocal critic of Roll for a number of years, accused the mayor of standing in the way of the council doing its job.

“We want Libby to move forward,” he said. “Doug is the one guy doing everything he can to block every avenue of conducting city business.”

Libby’s newest council member, Brian Zimmerman, was also confused by Roll’s move.

“I think we need to come together for discussion at a working meeting,” he said. “These discussions help us to have good information when we get to our regular meetings to make decisions. Why he is preventing this is beyond me.”

Councilwoman Dejon Raines said the council has a great deal of work to do, and the additional meeting helps the council members fulfill their responsibilities toward the citizens of Libby.

“It’s tough for me,” she said. “I was looking forward to conducting city business. We have quite a bit of business we need to discuss at council. I’m kind of at a loss right now because we have so much to do and he’s refusing to let us do our jobs.”

In his email to the council members, Roll also informed them Tennant would be available for one-on-one conversations at city hall Thursday, March 24, but has yet to schedule him to appear at a public meeting.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the council is Monday, April 4, at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Libby City Hall.