There are reasons people don’t trust government
There are reasons members of Congress and the Tennessee General Assembly are currently beating back allegations of political corruption. They have been caught in so many recent scandals, people no longer trust them.
McMinnville officials would be wise to take note of this trend and stop sneaky behavior before it escalates any further. Otherwise it won’t be long before they lose the trust of local residents.
Exhibit A is the departure of city administrator Herb Llewellyn, who tendered his resignation at the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting Tuesday night. Of course most people now realize Llewellyn’s resignation was hardly voluntary. He was forced out of his job after city officials gave him a choice to resign or be fired.
It should be emphasized McMinnville aldermen have every right to fire the city administrator. As the city’s elected officials, aldermen have been put in their positions by the people to run McMinnville to the best of their ability.
If the current city administrator inhibits their ability to run the city, then fire him. Present the idea at a full board meeting, clearly indicate the problems, then vote to remove him. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. And most of all it’s honest. People appreciate honesty.
But our current aldermen did nothing of the sort. Instead they gave Llewellyn an ultimatum to resign or have a termination on his permanent record. And to make sure he didn’t tell anybody about this plan, they offered him three month’s severance pay, or in this case a “consulting fee.” The terminology doesn’t really matter. You might as well call it hush money.
In an attempt to cover-up this conspiracy, Llewellyn was told to give the old homesick story. His resignation letter said he misses his home state of Kansas so badly, he can no longer stand living in McMinnville.
Never mind the fact Llewellyn is currently in the process of building a new home here. Forget for a moment his daughter is about to graduate from Warren County High School. The good citizens of McMinnville are expected to believe Llewellyn suddenly became so homesick, he had no other choice but to immediately quit his job, abandon his new home, and flee.
What’s even more troubling is aldermen don’t seem bothered by the fact they acted behind closed doors to oust Llewellyn from office. When asked directly about Llewellyn’s resignation, the Standard was told aldermen had decided ? as a group ? to defer all comments to Mayor Royce Davenport.
This sort of secrecy is exactly why people distrust government. If elected officials are taking drastic measures to cover up their behavior, it only stands to reason such behavior is shady.
This state has a Sunshine Law for good reason. It’s to try and ensure government decisions are made in the open in full view of the people the government represents.
The city of McMinnville operates thanks to taxpayer dollars. City employees and elected officials are paid from taxpayer dollars. And that’s precisely why the citizens ? the taxpayers ? must remain informed.
If city officials are honest and acting with the best interest of McMinnville in mind, there should be nothing to hide. If meetings and decisions are conducted in private, it certainly makes you wonder.