. . . is
here.No mention of the illegal meeting that didn't include the new aldermen, that was held in secret AFTER the regular meeting, though.
Here's a little civics lesson that may come in handy over the next few days:
PENALTIES - 610.027
If the court finds a public governmental body has violated the Sunshine Law, it may declare void any action taken in violation of the law.
If the court finds, by a preponderance of evidence, that the public body or a member of the public body has knowingly violated the Sunshine Law, the court: Shall subject the member or body to a civil fine of up to $1,000; and May order the member or body to pay all costs and reasonable attorney fees to any party successfully establishing a violation.
If the court finds, by a preponderance of evidence, that the public body or member has purposely violated the Sunshine Law, the court shall: Subject the member or body to a civil fine of up to $5,000; and Order the member or body to pay all court costs and reasonable attorney fees.
Watch the
Quill for developments.
Present were Aldermen Steve Alford, Buddy Rogers, and Bob Grimes. Newly-elected Mike Harber was sworn in during the meeting. Also present was mayor Allen Deckard.
The following were approved unanimously --
Approve the previous month's minutes.
Approve the fire department's minutes.
Approve paying the March 2006 bills.
Approve the election results, with Steve Alford abstaining because he was one of the candidates.
It was then that the newly elected Aldermen, Mike Harber and Steve Alford, were sworn in and Harber took his seat on the council.
Applications for pool manager were reviewed and Jennifer Hobbs was approved.
Russell Devore addressed the council for a liquor license. He will be buying the Last Chance Tavern Too on Front Street and needed to know the license would be approved before he went any further. It was unanimously approved.
Patricia Martin was scheduled to address the council in a request for a license to operate a hot dog cart at the city's parks. She was not in attendance, and the item was tabled after discussion that the city would need to carry a million dollar insurance policy on such ventures operated on city property.
There were several money allocation issues for police, streets, fire, parks etc. They were approved.
There will be a tire pickup the 24th through the 28th at the Rural District shed. Look for details to be announced later.
The paperwork for the USDA grant for a police car has come in.
At about 7:15 the council went into closed session.
7:00 PM Thayer City Hall Council Room.
. . . but not on
their site yet, a couple of interesting pieces.
First is a front-page, above-the-fold story on the trial about the mayor's little temper tantrum. It's title is "
Crase not guilty." There's a pretty good quote from Bob Crase in it:
It's bad when you cannot go to City Hall to express an opinion without someone beating on you.
And it closes with Crase's account of yet another example of Thayer's good-ol-boy system in action:
Crase said he had filled out a report against Deckard two or three days following the incident at City Hall. "I went to the Thayer Police Station and filled out a report. I told them (the police) the mayor pushed me down when I wasn't looking," Crase said. He added that he was never contacted about the charges filed against the mayor.
However you feel about Bob Crase, as a citizen of Thayer, he is deserving of equal protection under the law. Yet he gets brought up on assault charges for tapping the mayor on the shoulder, and the mayor doesn't get charged for pushing him down.
Another interesting little (and I do mean little) tidbit I found was on the back page of the A section. Remember when the SMN said Gary Barton was at a city council meeting that he wasn't at? Remember that it was a fairly large, front-page story? Remember
the letter I faxed to them? Well, this week, a very small, two-paragraph correction ran, buried on the back page of their A section:
CORRECTION
A March 30 South Missourian News story stated that Gary Barton was at the March 21 Thayer City Council Meeting. This was incorrect.
Barton was not at the meeting but said he had told council members in the past that electrical rates in the city would need to be increased to keep up with increases from electrical suppliers, as stated in the story.
Note that the SMN still makes no mention of the absence of the mayor.
When these stories make it to their online edition, I will post links to them, so you can read them yourself.Update: SMN's Crase not guilty story is
here. I don't see their correction in their online version anywhere.
Results for Yesterday's Election in Thayer.1st Ward Alderman (North Ward): Total votes:109
Mike Harber: 72
Fern Hickinbotham*: 34
Write-Ins: 3 (So far, not identified by the media.)
2nd Ward Alderman (South Ward): Total votes: 135
Robert Steve Alford*: 67
Mildred Cornelius: 36
Johnny Jewell: 32
* - incumbent.
I know for a fact that there was at least one write-in for the ambulance district board race, which did not have a candidate on the ballot. The media has not given any results for that race at all. I do not know if the Oregon County Election people haven't given them the information, or if the OC folks have given it to them, and they refuse to publicize it.
4/6/06 Update: WPDQ Online has an
article on the council races. As always, it's temporary, so read it today or you'll miss it.
The WPDQ has a story up on Bob Crase's not-guilty verdict
here. As usual, though, it will disappear after a day or two, so go read it today.
Ozark Radio News hasn't yet mentioned it on
their webcast, but check back later and they might put it up. Don't hold your breath, though.
Today is election day in the city of Thayer.
Missouri Revised StatutesChapter 574Offenses Against Public Order Section 574.010 Peace disturbance--penalty.
574.010. 1. A person commits the crime of peace disturbance if:
(1) He unreasonably and knowingly disturbs or alarms another person or persons by:
(a) Loud noise; or
(b) Offensive language addressed in a face-to-face manner to a specific individual and uttered under circumstances which are likely to produce an immediate violent response from a reasonable recipient; or
(c) Threatening to commit a felonious act against any person under circumstances which are likely to cause a reasonable person to fear that such threat may be carried out; I hope you enjoyed the time you had not being Inmate #6611272176's girlfriend, because that's about to change.
