Who sets the agenda for meetings of the Rock Hall Town Council? The council does, according to most of the members, the town’s attorney and Robert’s Rules of Order — a 140-year-old guide for public meetings that Mayor Robert Willis and the council adopted unanimously last June.
Robert’s Rules of Order is a guide first published in the US in 1876 for “deliberative bodies” to set agendas and conduct civilized and respectful meetings. It has been widely adopted in the US and other democracies around the world.
A key provision in the rules gives the majority on the council the right to approve the agenda prior to meetings — but Willis doesn’t see it that way and insists that he alone holds the right to set the meeting agendas as the town’s “CEO.”
Lately, Willis has substituted his agenda with the ones proposed by the council to “re-hash” old issues with Town Manager Ron Fithian and the town’s attorney, Charles “Chip” MacLeod.
But Council Members Brian Jones, Olin “Butch” Price and Brian Nesspor believe these issues have been vetted ad nauseam and are no longer a good use of the council’s time.
“One of the problems is we sit here and hash out…the same things over and over again,” said Jones at the Feb. 20 council meeting.
In the 12-minute video below, a majority of the council whittles down Willis’ agenda at the Feb. 20 meeting after Willis tried unsuccessfully to spar with MacLeod on the legality of the rules adopted by the council last June.
julia donovan says
Editor,
When will this reign of nonsense and ego end?
Gren Whitman says
Editor,
Recent Spy headlines reflect the continuing saga of an elected official who won’t listen to reason and who’s overstayed his welcome:
“Willis Again Acting Without Council’s Authority, Funk & Bolton Legal Fees Dead Issue” (Feb. 23);
“Rock Hall Council Approves State’s Attorney Probe of Willis” (Feb. 25); and
“Rock Hall Mayor Confused on Rules He Approved to Conduct Town Meetings” (March 5).
Thank you, Spy, for filming and reporting on Rock Hall’s town meetings so that those who do not attend can see Willis’ stubborn foolishness for themselves.
I’m looking forward to this headline ASAP: “Willis Resigns; Brian Jones New Rock Hall Mayor.”
Doug Francis says
Editor:
The Agenda issue has always been put out by the Mayor for years and any Council member has the opportunity to put any issue they want on the Agenda before the meeting.
Here’s what happens:
Prior to each meeting the Mayor calls the Town and has his issues put on the Agenda. Each Council member also has an opportunity to call with their issues that they want on the Agenda.
The Agenda is then changed (by who?) at the Town Hall to take off the issues the Mayor puts on. Then the issues that the Council wants are placed on the Agenda. The Mayor then asks to have his issues put back on and they are not.
This is the whole reason why we have had two agendas and why the Mayor states His agenda is the one we go with the option that the Agenda can have issues added to it.
Also, once the Mayor asks if anyone wants to take the Issues off the Agenda, there was no Motion to do that. Who is really running the meeting and Agenda?? Attorney maybe?
Lets cut the bull and get to the real reason the majority of the Council does not want to go with the Mayor’s agenda. The issues that he puts on the Agenda are real issues that are real concerns for the taxpayers of the Town. The majority of the council does not want to discuss or get to the real answers to these issues. (why?) How about we put the entire video of the Town meetings out.
Here is the Clip that Council Member Francis asked the Attorney step by step about the Agenda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7P4EiIMLI
Council member Francis question to the attorney starts at 15:50 on the clip.
Doug Francis
Husband of Town Council member Susan Francis
Gren Whitman says
In lockstep with Mr. Willis, Doug Francis and his wife, Councilwoman Susan Francis, fail to grasp who’s empowered to set agendas.
Because the Town Council—including Willis and Francis—adopted Robert’s Rules of Order to govern council meetings, the entire council must agree on the final agenda. In other words, in plain English, the mayor does not have final say. (He continues to insist that he does, but he is incorrect, as are Mr. and Mrs. Francis.) Fortunately for Rock Hall, Councilmen Price, Jones, and Nesspor are keeping our town on course, aided by professional advice from the town attorney and town manager.
Doug Francis says
Editor,
Let’s be clear. No one is disputing that the Mayor does not have the final approval of the agenda. We all understand that the Mayor, along with any other council member, if they so choose, can submit their requests for items that they wish to be included on the agenda. Then, yes, at the start of the council meeting the agenda is voted and approved by all.
This procedure has just come about at the last meeting and has not been an issue in the past. The issue was that the items the Mayor submitted for the agenda were removed prior to the agenda being submitted and introduced at the meeting for “final” approval. Who (which no one will own up to) removed or had the authority to remove the items the Mayor submitted to be place on the agenda that he wanted to discuss.
As far as Robert Rules of Order. I think it is a wonderful idea. Finally the meetings will have some “rules” and “structure” that everyone will have to follow. The only quote that comes to mind is “Live by the sword, die by the sword”.