BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
MONTGOMERY -- A group of volunteers has put officials here on notice that there's too much divisiveness on city council, and they want it to stop. The group suggests that some council members are micromanaging the city. They also voiced concern over a recent dispute regarding one neighborhood's sewer problems, and a drive for a referendum they felt was inappropriate.
"I'm just glad to have so many people interested in what goes on in the city of Montgomery," Council Member Gail Winiarz said. "I think what they say has occurred."
In a July 1 letter to council, more than a dozen volunteers and former city officials said that "an atmosphere of disrespect, interference and sometimes intimidation" at some council and commission meetings could harm the city and cause it to lose volunteers or employees.
Working from the outside
"The people that got together are basically on commissions or are former council people," said Mary Lou Rose, who serves on the city's landmarks commission. "They're all people who are knowledgeable about the city and how it operates. I think our group wants to stress the city's positive things."
The city has seven commissions, composed of about 45 volunteers. Recently, council faced a potential referendum over its plan to help pay to fix about 60 homes in the Schoolhouse Lane area that route storm water into the sanitary sewer system. Some residents, who maintained that the city faced unlimited spending under the proposal, circulated petitions seeking to stop it by referendum. That action became moot when council rescinded the original plan to develop a new one.
Council Member Janeanne Archiable, who has been critical of the city's original plan, sided with the petitioners, but said she did not actively work with them.
"I did not circulate a petition but I was certainly supportive of the petitioning group," she said. "I felt that their concerns were valid."
A first-time council member since December but active in the city for about 20 years, Mrs. Archiable maintains the city's plan did not solve the problem.
"This is the first referendum that I can recall," Mrs. Archiable said. A referendum puts legislation to a vote of the people.
Mrs. Rose said the city's legislative process works fine. "I think referendum has to be used very wisely," she said.
Gary Gross and Gene McCracken are new to council this term, but both had served other nonconsecutive terms. Mr. McCracken served on council in the 1980s while Mr. Gross served from 1991-95.
The volunteer group is also concerned that city council, which is supposed to set policy, is becoming too active in the day-to-day running of the city.
"Our charter is clear, and the city manager is to run the operations of the city," Mrs. Rose said. "We want the city council to provide policy for them."
City Manager Cheryl Hilvert declined to comment on the letter. Mrs. Winiarz agreed that council should set policy and let administrators carry it out. "I don't want to get into managing the day-to-day administration of the city because that's what the city manager is for."
Council should let the administration run the city, but should also work with administrators, Mr. Gross said.
"As a council, I think we have the responsibility not to rubber stamp but to consider (issues) and make sure we're being responsible as a city," he said. "I'm always concerned about council not working as a team. I think . . . there is some frustration."
A divisive environment makes it difficult for volunteers to do their jobs well, they say.
"We do not want to lose the enthusiasm of either our employees or our volunteer commission members," said John Britton, chairman of the city's parks and recreation commission.
"The commissions have been sidetracked and kept from doing the business they should be doing," said Barbara Glick, also a member of the parks and recreation commission. "They weren't listening to our suggestions or any of our concerns."
Case in point: a debate over lights at the city pool, which grew contentious, she said.
Council "wanted to have them removed, which was going to be extremely costly," she said. "We were really at odds against that."
