Reader is ‘frustrated’ with BOMA
Letter to the Editor
I am writing to express my frustration with a Mayor and Board of Aldermen and their refusal to seek public input or even answer basic questions from the residents.
During a recent Town BOMA meeting, I asked several questions I had previously asked of Mayor (Ron) Williams, Vice Mayor (Louise) Povlin and Alderman (David) White regarding the McFee land purchase. Please note, these were the three of five present for the vote giving the mayor sole authority to authorize the $5.5 million purchase for no defined purpose. Forty percent of the Board failed to show for this critical vote!
Earlier, the vice mayor stated that she should have answered my questions, but her emotions got the better of her.
At the start of the last meeting I repeated the vice mayor’s statement back to her, re-read the identical questions and requested a response. The gathering was told, by the mayor and vice mayor, that the questions from all would be answered together at the end of Citizens Forum.
This is clearly shown on the Town’s YouTube feed.
Alderman White solely attempted to answer the questions he could, but was chided continuously by the mayor, who attempted to silence Alderman White’s voice.
Now the vice mayor has again gone public saying she never said the actual words recorded during the last meeting.
The refusal of this Board to show respect to its residents is in complete opposition to the system of representative government and is akin to a monarchy.
Why does our Mayor and Board of Alderman refuse to answer questions of the people they serve? Are citizens not a part of the process any longer?
Pat Lee, Farragut
