News

Council tables CEDC abolishment
Committee has a reprieve
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--Where can you find tempers flaring with cuss words thrown around, audience members gaveled down, orders given to remove a citizen from the building, and a shouting audience? Another Gray Town Council meeting.

The same issue that had incited the audience two weeks ago at the last regular Council meeting stirred the audience up again, to abolish the Community Economic Development Committee (CEDC). The committee no longer serves a useful purpose for the Town Council and citizens of Gray, Councilors had stated. They notified the committee two weeks ago to come discuss the issues around their non-productivity, and a two-hour discussion from among the members and the audience and Council ensued at that meeting. The Council was to vote on whether to abolish them at Tuesday's meeting, and again the audience came loaded for bear.

With a crowded room and attentive listeners awaiting the moment they would be allowed to speak, the Council first opened the discussion among Council, as usual.

CEDC liaison John Welch stated that he thought the committee has accomplished some things and further that they have an interest in doing more things for the Town of Gray. "I don't see the need to abolish it," Mr. Welch said.

Councilor Denise Duda outlined a chronology of events since last May to her own understanding of the issues between the CEDC and Council. She thought that Council could have been more diligent in working with the CEDC. She said, "What I have heard from Councilors and CEDC is that something is not working. Should CEDC have come to the meeting of Council when asked? Yes. Should Council have gotten information to them sooner? Yes. Should CEDC be more productive? Maybe so. Should Council ask CEDC tough questions? Yes. Should Council have attended their meetings? Absolutely." Ms. Dusa was referring to Liaison John Welch, who had missed two of the last three meetings. Ms. Duda urged fellow councilors to give the abolishment idea a decent burial.

Councilor Skip Crane moved to table the motion to abolish, and it was seconded by Andy Upham. Motions to table are not open for discussion, and with no further ado, Chair Gary Foster called for a vote. It was 3-2 to table until Council's April meeting, with Mr. Upham, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Foster voting to table. Ms. Duda and Mr. Welch voted not to table. The motion passed, closing the opportunity for citizen discussion.

This action inflamed the audience and there were verbal eruptions from among the gathering. CEDC member Jack Goosetrey approached the podium and began to curse the Council. He was ruled out of order by Chair Foster. The out of order comments went on for a few minutes, with Mr. Goosetrey becoming more inflamed as he talked louder, over the Chair. The Chair recessed the meeting and directed the Manager to remove Mr. Goosetrey. Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz did not need to do that because at that moment two male audience members escorted Mr. Goosetrey from the podium back to his seat.Below, Goosetrey still angry, speaking with CEDC member Ralph Wink's wife Eska. Staring at the photographer is Lynn Olson. The Monument: Prata photo

During the five-minute recess, some audience members took the opportunity to relate their comments to Council anyway, with several approaching the dais to tell the Council exactly what they thought of the situation. Clusters of angry audience members spouted various epithets amongst themselves as Chair Foster waited on the dais for the tempers to cool.

After about ten minutes, many of the audience members left, or went outside to continue their conversations. The Chair had announced that he would reconvene the meeting and reopen the CEDC issue, and was supported in this by Ms. Duda.

Mr. Foster was advised by Former Councilor Fran Monroe that to reopen an issue that had been voted on would require a vote first to suspend the Council Rules. Mr. Welch advised that the Council would need to vote to reconsider the issue and if Council as not going to do that they should move on. Mr. Foster abandoned the idea to reopen the CEDC discussion and the meeting continued, absent many audience members.