Mayor sided with council and employees, not taxpayers

On Jan. 9, the city of Collinsville had a special (not regular) meeting in the training room at City Hall. The five-person Council was to discuss providing the convention center with about $2.5 million of TIF money over the next 10 years.

A second item was to discuss how the city might be able to find a way to circumvent complying with the Right to Speak state law that became effective a year ago.

It started bad by the mayor declaring, "Let's call the regular strategic session of Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, to order with roll call please."

It was a special and not a regular meeting.

After a good presentation for 19 minutes the convention center director Cindy Warke asked if there were any questions and council member Liz Dalton spoke up. That was a surprise because last June the council was told that over a two-year period Dalton had voted in favor of appointing every center board member and during the same time earned $16,166 as an employee of the center. She was told that she should avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest and later agreed that she would do that.

The fishing show was the weekend starting Jan. 6, and Warke said they had a good turnout "as Liz can give testimony." Apparently Dalton was working for the center, which gives the appearance of conflict again. We will have to see how she votes when the large TIF giveaway is up for approval.

The Right to Speak law was knowingly violated when the city was discussing whether or not they should allow taxpayers the right to speak. This was the first meeting that our former chief of police was presiding as interim city manager but the minutes of the July 25, 2011, meeting show Mayor John Miller was publicly petitioned to comply with the Right to Speak law.

The special meeting agenda did not indicate input from residents like the regular meeting does. Mayor Miller had a choice of erring on the side of the taxpayer or the employees and council at that special meeting of Jan. 9. Regrettably, he chose the later.

Bob DesPain

Collinsville