What has happened to our city government?
The Monitor contains two articles describing how governments now work. One reports on the two actions taken by the Mayor and City Manager to constrain Councilor Stacey Brown from raising issues and asking questions. One action is removing her from committee assignments and the other is barring her from speaking with upper level staff without the manager’s permission. The other article, an op-ed, describes how the Trump administration has doubled down to constrain Senator Mark Kelly from expressing his views about the military.
In both instances, local and federal, the clamp down occurred because legislators asked questions or said things that the administration did not like. As Senator Kelly put it, “Don’t say something they don’t like — keep your mouth shut or they’re coming after you.”
In the last election, Stacey Brown got more votes than any other city councilor, and more votes than Mayor Champlin. Her work on the council and in committee resonates with city residents. Recently, she has asked the city to account for the removal and expenditure of certain reserve funds that may not have been used for their intended purpose. She also asked for proof that a claimed $25,000 donation to Beaver Meadow was actually made. These seem like easily answered basic questions, but instead of providing the information, the mayor stripped her of committee assignments.
Muzzling Stacey Brown will not make the city’s fiscal and accounting issues disappear. She should not have to file right-to-know petitions to do her job. There is no room for vindictiveness and retaliation in city governance.