Quartzsite, AZ

[snjmom]

Link

Arizona town in disarray; mayor alleges corruption
By AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press – 1 day ago
PHOENIX (AP) — The far western Arizona town of Quartzsite was in disarray Monday after the town council ousted the mayor from power and declared a state of emergency, all over an online video that shows a woman being arrested.
Mayor Ed Foster told The Associated Press on Monday that the town council held a last-minute meeting that was closed to the public Sunday night, declaring a state of emergency in the 3,600-person town just east of the California city of Blythe.
The council's declaration put police Chief Jeff Gilbert in charge, making Foster the "deputy chief executive of nothing right now," he said. It also allows the five-member council to meet without public notice and suspend all public comment at the meetings until they declare the state of emergency over.
"I'm going to tell you frankly, this council is out of control," Foster said. "The chief has been out of control for some time and I've asked the state government to help a number of times," to no avail.
Foster described the government and Gilbert as corrupt and abusive of their power, and said all their recent actions are frantic efforts to cover up millions of dollars of money from lining some of their pockets.
Both Gilbert's and the town hall's phone numbers rang busy most of the day Monday, and all five council members and the town manager did not immediately return email requests for comment.
A man who answered the town hall's phone later Monday and did not identify himself said he would deliver a message to Town Manager Alex Taft but said council members were unavailable.
Vice Mayor Barbara Cowell told The Arizona Republic on Sunday that Foster's characterization of the council imposing "martial law" was inaccurate, saying that a recording of the meeting will be made available to the public Monday.
There was no evidence that the recording or meeting minutes had been posted by Monday evening.
Cowell defended Quartzsite's leaders by saying the town is audited every year and that they're not corrupt.
"Our people work so hard," she said. "We've had to cut back on staff ... just to keep us solvent."
Foster said the council declared the emergency because they claim they've received threats from members of the public who saw a video posted on YouTube.
The video shows a woman identified as Jennifer Jones being arrested and hauled away from a council meeting after she said the council was violating open-meetings laws. Jones was speaking during a public comment period, and Foster is heard on the video telling other council members who ordered her removed that "the lady has the floor."
"She's exercising her First Amendment rights," Foster says in the video before telling officers: "You are in violation of my rules of order."
The officers remove her, anyway, and in the process injure her elbow, which is now in a sling, Foster said.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPY3BIsVQq8]YouTube - Link[/ame]


I'm at a loss.

 

[B. Kidd]

What happens in Quartzsite, usually stays in Quartzsite.
I'm at a loss, too!

 

[Avatar4321]

I can't imagine there isn't more to this story. Regardless, they need to answer to the people.

 

[shintao]

I can't imagine there isn't more to this story. Regardless, they need to answer to the people.

I am not sure robert's rules of order demand they listen to anyone. I have seen a city council listen to anti-gunners, and then walk out of the room when the pro-gun crowds began to speak.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I can't imagine there isn't more to this story. Regardless, they need to answer to the people.

I am not sure robert's rules of order demand they listen to anyone. I have seen a city council listen to anti-gunners, and then walk out of the room when the pro-gun crowds began to speak.

If they are following Robert's Rules of Order she cannot be silenced simply because on member of the board tells her to leave. They can enter a motion to remove her from the floor, but that motion has to be voted on, which it wasn't. There is obviously back story here, but she should have been allowed to finish whinging unless she went over a set time for speaking that is clearly established.