BOMA Approves New Ward Boundaries Ahead of Elections

 The Hendersonville Standard reports:

Despite nearly two hours of debate on Nov. 30, a final vote on new ward boundaries for a redistricting plan the city of Hendersonville is required to implement yielded the same results as an initial vote three weeks earlier.

During the special-called Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, board members voted 7 to 5 to implement a redistricting plan recommended by a special Citizen Redistricting Committee appointed by the board in September. The board voted 7 to 6 on the same plan on Nov. 9.

State and federal law requires city, state and county governments to redraw voting districts every 10 years following the U.S. Census to assure equal representation for voters. The city of Hendersonville is currently divided into six wards represented by two aldermen each.

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Boyd Named Public Works Director

 The Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen has voted to name Marshall Boyd the city's Public Works Director, the Hendersonville Standard reports:

The Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to confirm Marshall Boyd as public works director on Sept. 8.

Boyd, who has been city engineer since 2014, was voted the interim public works director in January 2019.

Before 2014, he worked for Aecom in Nashville for seven years as a consultant and engineer. He also worked for the Nashville engineering firm Palmer Engineering from January 2005 to October 2007. He is a nationally Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control and Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality.

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Davis Named City Administrator

Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday night to appoint Carmen Davis as City Administrator. Here’s more from the Hendersonville Standard:

A former county administrator who also spent a decade as a city planner in Detroit, Mich., has been picked to be Hendersonville’s first city administrator.

Carmen Davis, who served for nearly 10 years as the county administrator in Hinds County, Miss., until a new Board of Supervisors voted her out earlier this year, was appointed to the newly created position by a 9 to 4 vote on Tuesday.

The appointment by the city’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen via Zoom followed a nearly two-hour discussion about the problems the city is having with Waste Pro, the company responsible for trash pick-up.

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 https://www.hendersonvillestandard.com/news/davis-chosen-to-be-hendersonvilles-first-city-administrator/article_9f27c176-d1cf-11ea-82cd-e365c7875fe4.html

As If

It's like some Hendersonville Alderpersons don't even LIVE in Hendersonville. I mean, read this from the Tennessean about the potential for Black Lives Matter protests here:

A disagreement over whose responsibility is it to call for a curfew in Hendersonville recently devolved into an hours-long, back-and-forth email thread, in which an alderman suggested the mayor resign.

 

Since then, city leaders have held multiple meetings to get “on the same page” and prepare for any potential protests that might occur in Hendersonville amid ongoing civil unrest about police brutality and racial injustice, but they've declined to divulge too many details out of concern for public safety.

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The Secret List

Who will be Hendersonville's next (first) City Administrator?

Well, we can't know because City officials are keeping the names of the five finalists secret. This seems to fly in the face of open records laws, but City officials insist their behind the scenes behavior is totally appropriate.

The Hendersonville Standard has more:

The list of those vying to be Hendersonville’s first permanent city administrator has been narrowed down to five, according to Dave LeMarbre who currently holds the position on an interim basis.   

The list will be narrowed down further before it’s made public who the final candidates are, LeMarbre added. 

The candidates include: 

A county administrator from Mississippi; a chief of staff for a city council in Wisconsin; a former city manager from Ohio; a police chief from Kansas; a chief administrative officer for a mayor in Alabama; a deputy city manager from a city larger than Hendersonville in Virginia; a chief of staff for a city manager in a large city in Florida; an interim village manager in Illinois; a city manager from a small East Tennessee town; the chief executive and administrative officer for a Pennsylvania city of similar size and budget to Hendersonville; and a town manager for a small town in North Carolina with a budget about one-fourth the size of Hendersonville’s.

One woman and one professional who is currently working in Tennessee are among the 11 candidates. None of the candidates are former or current Hendersonville employees, nor are any of the candidates current or former Hendersonville elected officials. 

The secrecy surrounding the process is allegedly to avoid further "political strife." However, it seems that by keeping the names of applicants secret, the process is only adding to the tension surrounding the process.

Typically, the selection process for public officials is relatively transparent. Lists of names are released once the application deadline is met. As the process narrows candidates, the list of finalists is also typically released. Often, meetings to narrow candidates are held in public, with opportunities for public forums or other comment on potential leaders.

It's not clear what statutory authority City Attorney John Bradley is using to justify this super secret process.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

Tire Store Rezoning DENIED

The Hendersonville Standard has the story of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen denying a request by Firestone to rezone property in order to open another tire store:

Less than a month after receiving a unanimous recommendation from the city’s planning commission, Hendersonville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted down last week a request to rezone property on East Main Street that would have allowed for a second Firestone Tire Center.

Hendersonville planning commission members recommended 10 to 0 on Aug. 6 an ordinance to rezone 1.04 acres east of Callender Lane and north of East Main Street from rural residential to general commercial.

FS Hendersonville, LLC requested the zoning change in order to build a corporate-owned Firestone Complete Auto Care.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

BOMA Time

Alderman Russ Edwards is developing a proposal to limit the time of BOMA meetings -- meetings which routinely run past midnight.

Here's more from his Facebook post on the matter:

I’m introducing an ordinance to BOMA in an effort to expedite our meetings. This is really to start the discussion of how the BOMA meetings can be run more efficiently. As you may know, we consistently go until 1:00 a.m. The city and its citizens are not getting the best out of its city leaders when we do this.

Part of my proposal, which I’m not completely sold on yet, is to keep citizens comments on agenda items only. This would be consistent with most municipalities’ rules. Most city leaders I speak with are in shock that anyone can come talk about anything at our meetings. I’m still on the fence about this and want to get feedback before I move forward on it.

Please keep in mind that I’m happy to discuss any issue with anyone. My cell number and email address are on the city’s website. I return all my calls and I read all my emails. The best way to air your grievances or try to get an issue resolved is to contact your aldermen or the mayor instead of going to the full BOMA.

I agree that 90% of the problem with inefficiency in our meetings is us. I would like for us to follow the Robert’s Rules of Order more strictly and possibly limit the aldermen’s speaking times. Also, we should have more issues resolved in committees so they don’t have to be discussed at the full BOMA meetings.

A stricter BOMA agenda is in everyone’s best interest. It’s not fair to the citizens who want to attend the meetings to have to sit there for 5.5 hours. If they want to watch the meetings on YouTube it usually takes them three days. It’s also not good for the city employees who have to attend the BOMA meetings to be there until 1:00 a.m. after working all day and have to come back the next morning.

Sorry for the long post, but time management and efficiency are a passion of mine. The inefficiency in our meetings really drives me crazy. I do want to hear from the citizens and I enjoy being an alderman. My favorite part has been helping constituents with problems when they contact me. I’ll be happy to answer questions about this proposed ordinance.

What do you think? Should citizens comments be limited to only agenda items, similar to what happens in other cities or at the County Commission? Let us know: newshendersonville@gmail.com


For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews

City Administrator Coming to Hendersonville

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday night to add the position of City Administrator in 2020, just ahead of the Mayoral Election next year.

Tena Lee has more:

According to the ordinance passed by city leaders on Tuesday, the city administrator will:

-          Administer the business of the municipality

-          Employ, promote, discipline, suspend and discharge all employees other than department heads

-          Recommend to the Board the appointment of department heads as well as oversee and discipline department heads

-          Act as a purchasing agent for the city

-          Prepare and submit the annual city budget

The vote was 7-6 in favor of creating the new position.

The move means the City's next Mayor will take office with the benefit of a new position dedicated to handling much of the day-to-day administration of the City.

Current Mayor Jamie Clary, so far largely incapable of actually doing his job, opposed the move. It seems he'd prefer the current chaotic management of city government to being relieved of the most mundane tasks -- tasks which he's mismanaged throughout his brief, tumultuous tenure.

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The Meeting that Was then Wasn't then Was

Are you confused by Hendersonville City government? So is our Facebook Mayor!

He cancelled a meeting because it was Spring Break. Then, he was informed at least 8 aldermen could attend, meaning there'd be a quorum and that Vice Mayor Arlene Cunningham could chair.

Still, he cancelled the meeting and began searching for special meeting dates.

Turns out, almost the entire BOMA was present for the March 26th regularly scheduled meeting. Also in attendance: Clary, the very person who had attempted to cancel the meeting and find an alternate date.

The Hendersonville Standard has more on the circus that has become the day-to-day of city government in this town:

Although Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary cancelled Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, board members met anyway at the behest of Vice Mayor Arlene Cunningham. 

Clary, who cancelled the meeting because it fell during Sumner County Schools’ spring break, ended up attending and chairing the meeting. Eleven aldermen were also present.  

Clary cancelled the March 26 meeting on March 13 “due to spring break and activities around that” even though at least eight aldermen told him via email that they could attend the meeting. The eight who could attend included Cunningham who volunteered to chair the meeting in case Clary couldn’t attend.

At least one speaker at the meeting addressed Clary's Facebook antics:

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mary’s Magical Place co-founder Rachel McAuley tearfully addressed the board.

“I feel like tonight I am here after a verbal flood that occurred on March 18 by a source,” she said. “Normally you would see me with tears of joy and a big smile like my daughter’s, but that smile has disappeared. Now I’m just mad. I’m upset.

For more on news impacting Hendersonville and Sumner County, follow @HvilleNews