CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Sewer gas is not the only thing brewing around Chillicothe this week. Politics and disdain for one another are starting to cause hiccups in the continuity of government, leaving some worried that the city is on the brink of a possible collapse.
It all stems from a council meeting held a little over a week ago that was contested by a local citizen named Terry Williams. Williams, who is a local pastor in town, filed a complaint saying that the regularly scheduled city council meeting last week was illegal. It all centered around an email allegedly being sent “too late.” In an effort of precaution, the city’s law director instructed the council to re-hold the meeting, but the makeup meeting, too, was illegal, according to Williams, because “proper legal notice” was not sent out to councilmembers once again.
In the end, neither meeting mattered anyway because at the second-makeup-special meeting — where things were supposed to be redone — no legislation could move forward because not enough council members showed up. Two were scheduled to be out of town and could not attend the special meeting, one showed up late, and another said they did not receive legal notice of the meeting. Which brings us to the debacle of today: items that were supposed to be taken care of last week will sit on paper for two more weeks until the council’s next regularly scheduled meeting, and it all comes after a complaint that may — or may not have been — justified. Among the issues hanging in the balance because of the meeting mess-ups — or questions thereof — are bills, police training, and a vital sewer project that caused a lot of concerns for citizens on Watt Street. Another hot button issue was a piece of legislation that would make it illegal for homeless people to sleep in public unless they had no other resources.
The sinkhole.
During recent sewer repairs on water lines located at the intersection of Watt Street and Water Street a sinkhole formed and created a massive hazard for Chillicothe citizens. In a press release that was issued earlier this month, city officials stated that the sinkhole would require “months of work.” The sinkhole, among many other issues, has a few council members speaking out saying that other members of the council are intentionally being disruptive, causing delays to the repairs, and are working in tandem with Williams to cause mayhem all in the name of politics.
Among the legislation hanging in the balance are bulletproof vests for police officers, building repairs to townhall, floodwall upgrades that are required by the state to keep the city safe, as well as moving around thousands of dollars to keep the city running.
When asked about the bills, specifically regarding the sinkhole’s contractor, Mayor Luke Feeney seemed unsure.
“I believe there are a couple of appropriation ordinances in front of council to pay bills for projects that are complete, but I don’t know that there are any in front of council for projects that have not yet been completed…I don’t know if there are late fees, but if there are, per the terms of the agreement, we pay them,” the mayor said. Regarding how the meeting debacle will affect the timeline of the sewer repairs and people’s homes, the Mayor of Chillicothe gave a short answer, stating that the current projection of “between one and three months” was still accurate.
“We have to get this done, these are urgent matters,” stated Councilwoman Julie Preston about the ordinances.
Can’t we all just get along?
Council President Joe Gerringer pointed fingers and explained that Williams and Councilwoman Deidra Nickerson are to blame for the late timeline because the two felt both meetings were not legal and said that their “disruptions” are hurting the city.
“There’s city business that needs to be taken care of,” said President Gerringer in frustration. “There’s an intentional effort by a council member and Reverend Terry Williams to be as disruptive as possible.”
In response to the accusation, Nickerson said she is following the law, and that the council president, his appointee, and the council’s pro temp president — Preston — do not follow the law.
“I don’t know if the meeting that was held on Thursday was valid in itself, which is why I didn’t go,” Nickerson said, citing that she was not given “proper notice.” While Nickerson was not the only council member who was absent, the GOP members said she was “in town, aware of the meeting, and neglected to show up out of spite for politics.”
Democrats controlled the council until January when Republicans took a sweeping majority. Feeney, who is a Democrat, would arguably have matters rubberstamped by his own party each meeting. Now that a different political party sits at the table and is in control, things often get heated. From allegations that some members are banning livestock and the homeless to bills allegedly not being paid, and even something such as prayer before a council meeting are just some of the things that get debated between the two political parties and their representatives.
But how does all of this impact the citizens? The back-and-forth politics, the disruptions, and the differences in opinions? Well, one councilwoman took to social media and made her feelings known.
Dr. Allison Henderson, who represents the city’s fifth ward, said that the city is at a major turning point.
“The City of Chillicothe is in the process of working through one of the largest infrastructure projects in the state of Ohio: a new wastewater treatment plant. …. this is only one example of the major decisions/assignments of which this council is currently working,” Henderson said. She then went on to speak about how disruptions are preventing these, and other items from moving forward.
“That being said, in this city, we have a citizen who wishes to divide our attention by making records requests simply to pester, not actually be productive in any way. By doing this, he is actively interfering with your tax dollars trying to be used to benefit the city …. however, he has conveniently neglected to pester the remaining three liberal council members. While it is perfectly legal to request public records, — with the proper ORC and a deadline cannot be specified — the intent behind this request is malicious and disruptive.”
Gieringer echoed those sentiments.
“In addition to Allison Henderson’s example, the Watt Street repair has been delayed due to this citizen’s (and a council member’s) efforts as well. Claiming the agenda was sent 33 seconds too late and playing politics for cheap wins is not what is best for our community. Our infrastructure is failing, homeless individuals are being neglected and preyed upon, and public servants are being harassed for the sake of disruption.” In a previous meeting with the Guardian, Gieringer said that “some council members” were opposed to prayer and would do “anything they could” to disrupt and stop it.
Nickerson said the GOP is jumping ahead and is not following the law.
“I have to provide public records, too. Terry Williams requested them from every council member,” Nickerson said. “As for the sinkhole, I went down to the sinkhole yesterday and there is nothing holding up repairs right now. Our own city crews are working on it, and yes, they will have to hire a contractor, but they are not at that stage right now. As for the meetings, I don’t believe they were valid. [The GOP] doesn’t ask, they don’t take advice, and they think they can bully their way through. I am not being spiteful; this has nothing to do with politics. This is about the law, accountability, and doing what is best for the people of Chillicothe. There are rules and laws in place and we have to follow them. To turn around and blame me to say the only reason I did not show up was the homeless legislation is completely asinine. I had no idea who is going to be there or not. My sole reason for not going was to follow the rules. I have zero confidence in [the GOP] that they can conduct a meeting above board. They are not making themselves transparent on YouTube or anything at all.”
A call to Terry Williams for comment was not returned.