Mayor and city council need to stay in their lanes

For many of us here in town, there is a lot to absorb from the last few weeks.
One thing, however, is clear, if not obvious: city hall is in turmoil, and it appears that the saga of the police chief, and others, keeps unfolding, with one new revelation after another.
The accusations and counter-accusations are flying back and forth at a dizzying speed.
And there is a lot of finger-pointing and speculations and outlandish accusations of illegal this and that.
Folks, a little friendly advice: take a break from it all and let the investigators — whether they be the state police or the FBI — do their job.
Will the truth ever be revealed and matters settled once and for all?
Ha!
No investigation has ever satisfied everyone all the time.
But this is the system we have, and it requires a lot of faith that an inquiry will be impartial – not that we are naïve in thinking that some things will only get muddier.
In the meantime, we urge the mayor and city council to take a close look at the city charter and re-read what their roles are – as well as the role of the city manager.
Our city charter calls for the city manager to be in charge – not the mayor or council.
Yes, the council can hire and fire city managers, and in the past the city has done that.
But let’s be clear: the city manager has an absolute right in firing and suspending department heads.
Now, more than ever, we need cooler heads to prevail.
Posted May 30, 2025