Political discourse and re-appointments to local boards and commissions seemed to be the main topics at the Washington Court House City Council meeting Wednesday night.
On the agenda were nearly a dozen appointments to local boards and commissions, all of which passed unanimously. The reason for the influx of appointments at once is because terms are expiring at the end of the year.
Citizen Brenda LeMay spoke during the taxpayers portion of the meeting. She commented on what she said was a growing downtown and how she was happy to see it taking place. She also attacked a “blogger” and appealed to city council that council members only grant interviews to, what she called, “legitimate” news sources. Later in the meeting, LeMay made note that she did not mention any council members or news publications by name, but Council Chairman Jimmy Don Chrisman said at one point during the meeting, that everyone knew she was talking about the Guardian and it’s editor, Derek Myers. LeMay said she wanted council to keep emails and internal memos to themselves and effectively said that they should not answer public record requests.
LeMay was the first to introduce the topic of discussion about the Guardian’s news article, which was published last week, surrounding councilwoman Kendra Redd-Hernandez, who is the business owner of Back-En-Thyme floral in downtown. In the Guardian’s investigation, the article alleges that Redd-Hernandez received a subordination agreement from the city manager, which allowed her to take out an $83,000 loan for her business in September.
The Guardian’s interim editor-in-chief, Myers, spoke after the Dayton Avenue resident. He thanked the chairman for allowing him the chance to speak and commented on LeMay’s words by saying, “we have the first amendment, thankfully, and public record laws.”
He started off by saying a quote by Patrick Henry, an American Colonel revolutionary. “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”
Myers went on to discuss the article from last week and started to mention Redd-Hernandez by name. That’s when Chrisman hit his gavel and said that no one would be mentioned by name. Myers went on with a speech, not naming the councilwoman directly.
“And just last month, in September, someone approached her subordinates, the city law director and the city manager about a subordination agreement that would allow a 2006 tax dollar loan to take a backseat,” Myers said. “And armed with the agreement, she went to a private bank and drew out another loan for $83,000.”
Myers said the loan was mostly used for a refinance by the councilwoman on her business’ building and that savings on the interest rate and the money that possibly wasn’t applied to the refinance pay-off, presumably went into Redd-Hernandez’s checking account.
“This is an indirect profit,” he said.
Myers said that the state was investigating the subordination agreement and he appealed to the chairman to launch an inquiry, even if that inquiry “exonerated” the councilwoman.
“This matter has been referred to the state for investigation, and they have vowed to me the matter will be looked into. It may very well exonerate the Councilwoman, and if so, that’s great. I hope it does. I hope the people have not been victim.”
Councilman Dale Lynch spoke at the end of the meeting, citing Mahatma Gandhi’s “list of the 7 social sins.” Lynch opined about the “sin” that says, “Politics without principles,” referring to the news article and Redd-Hernandez’s re-election bid this November. Lynch said the article is causing people to lose friendships.
Redd-Hernandez did not discuss the tension directly, but she thanked LeMay for speaking. Other council members agreed with Lynch’s sentiments and the meeting adjourned just after 8 p.m.