Detroit residents petition for political recall
Root cause may be pending lawsuit from local landowner According to a group of twenty organizers, two political leaders in Detroit should be recalled from office because they have engaged in unprofessional behavior, are failing to help promote the local economy and have engaged in repeated secret meetings that exclude the public, among others. But James Bradley, Detroit Mayor and City Councilor, and Patrick Carty, Detroit City Councilor argue these charges are unfounded. “This is strictly a personal vendetta,” said Mayor Bradley, in his argument against the recall. Mayor Bradley believes that part of the effort stems from a pending lawsuit against the City of Detroit - by a local property owner over a 15 foot wide strip of land where city water lines are buried. To the city, the four-year lawsuit has become a question of moving the water lines, settling on a purchase price or evoking public right-of-way rights. It’s one of the reasons the council held recent closed Executive Sessions - the “secret meetings” noted in the recall complaints, said Councilor Patrick Carty. Council members argue that the closed meetings help keep legal strategy intact. With a town population of 205, the meetings shelter legal actions while they’re sent through official channels. Often those actions get changed mid-route - between City Council and legal advisors - which could be after the wrong information has been told to the landowner by the public. “Personally, I hate (the closed meetings). They make people suspicious,” said Councilor Carty, who said that
closed meetings are also held to discuss personnel issues. “We’re following Oregon public meeting laws...we have to do it to protect people’s rights.” Some residents, like Margaret Scott, are concerned about the recent appointment of a part-time resident to city council. City statutes say council members must be residents, but regulations are vague as to what determines a “resident”. Some people believe legal voting address determines it, others think it should mean living year-round within Detroit city limits. “We feel like we need a change,” said Chief Petitioner Jeanette Hartwell. “We need a council that’s pro-business and pro-growth.” She indicated that replacement candidates are available and that at least 38 residents have signed each petition. But Hartwell would not provide specific incidents relating to recall petition complaints of behaving unprofessionally. She was, however, involved in an ethics complaint earlier this year against the city council - requesting an investigation of what she believes was an illegal meeting last June to discuss her performance as mayor - a position she was asked to resign from by the then-current city council. “A lot of people are having second thoughts about the damage this is doing. The issue seems to be polarized, some people are tired of the politics and some think we need to get new people in there. There are some people that aren’t really willing to listen to everything going on. Seems like this could have been worked out in a more positive way,” said City Councilor Greg Sheppard. “I think we
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should wait for results from ethics commission. Is this really warranted? A recall in my book isn’t always the answer. It stops people from getting involved.” Getting involved is a sentiment shared by people on both sides of the issue. “I haven’t seen the community pull together like this in awhile,” said resident Rick Ladbury. “I think the town is going to speak.”
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