The local newspaper report on unruly council meeting and announcement of mayoral recall campaign.
The now the rest of the story.
Defeated Democrat Harrison appeared to have agreed with GOP Mayor Manlove to attempt to not allow citizens to announce a recall campaign against the mayor at the council meeting. Harrison denies this.
On repeated points of order Don Harrison moved that the speakers were not speaking on matters on the council agenda. Most citizens who speak each week are on topics not on the agenda. The instructions to sign up to speak state the matters should pertain to the city of Pasadena, not the city council agenda.
Mayor Pro Tem Dana Philibert, perhaps caught by surprise and not up on her Robert's Rules of Order and a ruling from the Texas Attorney General about suppression of free speech, allowed the repeated shut downs to continue.
Councilman Don Harrison is holding office until Texas courts consider his appeal of a ruling that fraudulent votes means he lost his hard fought election. After a tie and a close runoff election businessman Leroy Stanley has been awarded the seat.
Mayor Manlove chaired the pre-council meeting than received a phone call and said he needed to visit his mother in the hospital. A visit to Manlove's house after the meeting showed the mayor's car at home.
One half of the members in the audience walked out as Don Harrison spoke at the conclusion of the meeting.
The recall petition needs such a large number of signatures, 20% of voters or around 20,000, it may be difficult to accomplish.
Mayor John Manlove is widely seen as being groomed for higher office by supporters of Tom DeLay. Manlove has a large picture of himself with Tom DeLay in the mayor's office.
Manlove solicited an opponent for and campaigned against his sharpest critic on city council, Councilman Jack Douglass. The candidate Frank Macias, who lost, is being sued for libel by Douglass and was recently arrested for several unpaid tickets. Macias accused Douglass of anti-Hispanic racism and of holding beliefs similar to the KKK. Douglass denies this. Harrison was similarly sued for libel for written material in a Pasadena campaign and admitted he made false statements in a settlement.
During the meeting a cub scout troop there to observe local government was escorted out by leaders and parents shortly after the meeting began.
Manlove reacts - claims politics.
Houston Chronicle - Pasadena woman calls for recall of mayor at raucous City Council meeting
"I guess I'm most discouraged for the Cub Scouts," [Manlove] said. "These sweet little boys and their families were all there. They were so excited about being at City Hall, but their parents were so embarrassed by what was taking place they took their children out of the meeting. That's just bad. Meetings cannot be a free-for-all."ADDED - a video of the city council meeting is availble here but you must sign in at the right time. This is just an internet broadcast of what is being shown on cable at the same time.
Nebel said after the meeting that it was against the law for residents to be denied the right to speak.
"We're being snowballed. This is one more kick in the teeth for the city of Pasadena."
Tags: local, Pasadena, democracy, government, Manlove, Harrison, Stanley, Macias, Douglass, city council, 1st Amendment
1 comment:
Has anyone contacted the Boy Scout troup to see if attending the council meeting was there choice or an invitation of Manlove, who knew of the pending contraversy and may have wanted to divert criticism by saying, "Those poor kids?"
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