Brentwood's Mayoral Election Process

The following email was sent to BrentwoodWatchdog@gmail.com earlier this month:

to : BrentwoodWatchdog@gmail.com date : Thu, May 14, 2009 at 9:36 PM subject : Great job! mailed-by : gmail.com

We enjoyed the series on the School Board.  Appreciate your time and dedication.  About time we get some straight talk!

 

We have no facts on this, and want to be kept anonymous, but we've heard some disturbing rumors recently about the election for Brentwood's Mayor.  Not that Mrs. Crossley wouldn't be a great mayor, she will, but we heard that there was some kind of last minute effort to keep Commissioner Webb out from being Mayor.  That would be a shame if true.

In seeking clarification of what those "rumors" were, the sender replied with the following email:

to : Brentwood Watchdog date : Fri, May 15, 2009 at 7:37 AM subject : Re: Great job! mailed-by : gmail.com

Something about only Mr. Webb's name being on the ballot and there being write in votes.  Guess he would know. 

 

We don't really follow this stuff all that much, just talk around coffee.  May be all rumor anyway.  And we really like Betsy Crossley, so it was a good choice.

Other readers also inquired about how the City Commission chose the Mayor and Vice Mayor. For those unfamiliar, while Brentwood residents elect City Commissioners, the Commissioners themselves choose the Mayor and Vice Mayor every two years at the first meeting after the election. This year's May 5 city election was followed by a City Commission meeting on Monday, May 11, 2009. During that meeting Commissioner Betsy Crossley was elected Mayor and Commissioner Rhea Little was elected Vice Mayor. This was done by a paper ballot being handed out to each commissioner, collected by a city official, and votes being read out loud by the city attorney.

This is how the votes were cast that night. First, for Mayor:

• Commissioner Betsy Crossley voted for Paul Webb
  
• Commissioner Anne Dunn voted for Betsy Crossley
  
• Commissioner Rhea Little voted for Betsy Crossley
  
• Commissioner Joe Reagan voted for Paul Webb
  
• Commissioner Regina Smithson voted for Betsy Crossley
  
• Commissioner Joe Sweeney voted for Betsy Crossley
  
• Commissioner Paul Webb voted for Paul Webb
  

By a 4-3 vote, Betsy Crossley was elected Mayor.

And for Vice Mayor:

• Commissioner Betsy Crossley voted for Rhea Little
  
• Commissioner Anne Dunn voted for Rhea Little
  
• Commissioner Rhea Little voted for Rhea Little
  
• Commissioner Joe Reagan voted for Joe Reagan
  
• Commissioner Regina Smithson voted for Rhea Little
  
• Commissioner Joe Sweeney voted for Rhea Little
  
• Commissioner Paul Webb voted for Joe Reagan
  

By a 5-2 vote, Rhea Little was elected Vice Mayor.

This week the following email was forwarded to BrentwoodWatchdog@gmail.com by another reader with information that confirms that both Crossley and Little in fact WERE elected by write-in votes.

to : brentwoodwatchdog@gmail.com date : Tue, May 26, 2009 at 11:57 AM subject : Fwd: Brentwood Mayor and Vice Mayor Election Question mailed-by : gmail.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hedgepath, Debbie <hedged@brentwood-tn.org>
Date: Tue, May 26, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Subject: RE: Brentwood Mayor and Vice Mayor Election Question

Both ballots included only the names of persons who had indicated to the City Manager that they would be interested in the position, but also allowed Commissioners to write in the names of other persons.  For Mayor, the ballot listed Paul Webb and “Other.”  For Vice-Mayor, the ballot originally listed “Betsy Crossley” and “Other,” but Betsy’s name was removed after she was elected Mayor by the majority of the Commission.

None of that information was shared publicly the night of the election. There was no explanation of what names comprised the ballots. There is evidently no policy on how the city commission elects the Mayor and Vice Mayor beyond that it be done by a majority vote of the commission. However, would providing a ballot with names of all commissioners or no commissioners be a better way to handle the election? The idea that only the names of persons "interested" in the position were included is valid given the amount of time required to serve. Clearly others were interested in the positions though since "others" were elected and accepted the position.

In the first email we received, the writer mentioned the rumor of "some kind of last minute effort to keep Commissioner Webb out from being Mayor." You'll have to decide for yourselves if there was such an effort given the fact that Commissioner Webb's name was the ONLY name listed on the Mayoral ballot and Commissioners Dunn, Little, Smithson, and Sweeney opted instead to write-in another name. (Of course, this COULD NOT have been coordinated in advance by any of those four given Tennessee's strict Sunshine Laws.) It is interesting though that the newest member of the Commission, Rhea Little, chose to write-in a name not listed on the Mayoral ballot and then subsequently received votes for Vice Mayor from the three commissioners whom he joined in not voting for Commissioner Webb for Mayor. Incidentally, the only two Commissioners to NOT vote for Little (who received an overwhelming majority of votes from the Brentwood public) were Webb and Reagan.

Perhaps in the future an option would be for the commissioners to open the floor among themselves for nominations for Mayor and, subsequently, Vice Mayor. This would allow only those "interested" in serving to accept any possible nomination. It would also make the election process more transparent to the public. What do you think?

Retention Votes aren't Equal to Open Elections

Brentwood City Manager Mike Walker recently made the assertion that if Brentwood's City Commissioner elections were held in conjunction with state elections in the fall rather than as stand-alone elections in May they would be "relegated to the same status on the ballot as, for example, voting for a state Supreme Court judge or court of appeals judge."

Actually, under Tennessee's current system Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals justices maintain their roles through a "yes/no" retention vote. The Tennessee Court System website explains it as follows:

Judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals are elected on a “yes-no” ballot every eight years. When a vacancy occurs, the seventeen-member Judicial Selection Commission interviews applicants and recommends three candidates to the governor, who appoints a new judge to serve until the next August general election. By state law, judges on the three courts must be evaluated every eight years. Results of the evaluations are published in newspapers across the state, to help voters decide whether the judges should be retained.

Brentwood's City Commission election, however, would NOT be a retention vote (theoretically, at least), so equating the two very different elections isn't the most sound argument in this case.

When do you think Brentwood should hold the municipal election for city commissioners? May? August? November?

Is Low Voter Participation Better? Some in Brentwood Think So

Susan Leathers' BrentWord blog did some investigating on why Brentwood doesn't hold its municipal elections in conjunction with state or federal elections in November to attract more voters than the 14%-15% that typically come out on the first Tuesday in May.

Included among the responses to her question was this gem from Brentwood City Attorney Roger Horner:

Susan –
The City Charter allows the election date to be set on any date that is within 90 days of the anniversary of the first election, OR on the same date as the November elections. In 1987, the Board of Commissioners did take action to move the City’s election date to November, in an effort to get more people to participate in electing commissioners. Then, in 1992, it was changed again, this time to the first Tuesday in May.
The benefit of having a separate election, as opposed to combining it with state and national elections, is that the voters who turn out are focused on municipal issues. While moving the City’s election to November would bring out more voters, it’s likely that you’d get a lot of voters that haven’t taken time to acquaint themselves with the local issues or the candidates. Better to have a smaller number of informed voters than to have a large number of people who may just be pushing buttons without thinking it through.
Roger
City Attorney

Really, Roger? "Better to have a smaller number of informed voters than to have a large number of people who may just be pushing buttons without thinking through."

So, better participation automatically means those voters are less informed and just push buttons without thinking it through? What evidence do you have to support this? That the City Attorney would think such a thought is one thing, that he would provide it as an official response reveals a deeper problem.

If the move to November elections did increase participation, it's rather curious why the date was switched back to May. The move back to May, according to Mr. Horner, happened in 1992. (Two years after the arrival of Mike Walker as City Manager, coincidentally). The City Manager's response to BrentWord's question included this statement:

"The local election becomes relegated to the same status on the ballot as, for example, voting for a state Supreme Court judge or court of appeals judge." 

Again, that's one person's OPINION and discounts the many people who do pay attention to federal, state, and local issues equally. That two of Brentwood's highest-ranking employees would prefer low voter turnout to greater participation reflects poorly on a City sometimes labeled by those looking in from the outside as "elite".

We're going to do some more research on this issue for a future post. It just demanded a quick response at this time. Stay tuned for more. 

LAST Chance to Make a Choice

In less than 24 hours polls will open for the Brentwood City Commission election. Polling places are open from 7am until 7pm on Tuesday, May 5.

Those of you still undecided on how to cast your four possible votes from among a field of 10 candidates still have time to search out valuable information presented during the candidate forums.

WC-TV will air the candidate forum taped April 16 at Ravenwood High School today at 9am, 2pm, and 7pm on Comcast Channel 3 and Charter Channel 96.

The Brentwood Woman's Club forum held at the Brentwood Municipal Center is available on the city website and by clicking here.

The Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce forum is available for viewing on the organization's website and by clicking here.

Once the votes are cast and the results are in, the work will really begin (and quickly) for the four elected commissioners -- Brentwood's Fiscal Year 2009-2010 budget has its first public presentation one week from today on Monday, May 11.

An Open Letter to Truman's Take

Just sent this to the Truman's Take blog in response to some incorrect assumptions they have made regarding our work. Thought it might clear things up for others as well.

Truman -

I am writing to clarify an assumption you have made incorrectly because I respect your work as a blogger. The Brentwood Watchdog is NOT affiliated with Citizens for Town Center. Unequivocally and without reservation this blog is an independent entity with no ties to any other group. As it states on the Brentwood Watchdog blog, we are "Dedicated to keeping the residents of Williamson County's premier city informed by asking questions others don't ask, sharing facts others choose not to, finding the untold stories, and encouraging healthy discussion about Brentwood's historic past, vibrant present, and possibility-filled future." The Citizens for Town Center, as we understand from their website, is primarily interested in a single issue -- the fate of the Town Center area.

Additionally, clarification should be made that NO INDIVIDUAL, PAIR, OR GROUP of candidates currently seeking Brentwood City Commission office is involved with the Brentwood Watchdog site. The information we put out is not of a "Gotcha" nature as you have claimed -- we didn't ask the questions, only shared the responses of the candidates. (As a side note, could you define the difference between what you label as "Gotcha" and, as an example, the Blackburn-Gore video you posted recently? Aren't these in the same realm? Curious to know.) As a self-professed conservative interested in keeping Middle Tennessee informed on the issues, an increase in sewer rates of 25% on 9,300 residents and 300 businesses would seem to be a newsworthy item you would follow. It's a step the entire seven-member commission took last March when they voted unanimously for passage of the ordinance that costs residents, on average, $81.24 annually. It's hard to believe you would be supportive of a property tax increase of the same amount. If the commission enacted a charge (calling it a tax OR a fee) of more than $80 per year on Brentwood residents I don't think you would stand behind that. Those seven included Mayor Reagan, Vice-Mayor Webb, and Commissioner Smithson (the three seeking re-election at this time).

Commissioner Smithson went a step further, however, in trying to set her record straight. To tell the people of Brentwood directly, in the midst of a city commission meeting, that "I would have to say we haven't raised fees on them (the citizens of Brentwood)" is making an untrue statement in the middle of a campaign while using the city meeting to make a platform speech. Commissioner Smithson and the other incumbents are free to run on their record but when doing so the record MUST be presented accurately -- that goes for all the commissioners including Mayor Reagan and Vice-Mayor Webb.

Labeling Brentwood Watchdog as an "attack" mechanism of any group or candidate is not only incorrect, it is short-sighted. Long after this Brentwood election is over Brentwood Watchdog will be here -- asking questions, sharing facts, finding untold stories, and encouraging discussion. In short, the Watchdog WILL be watching.

Respectfully and fiercely independently yours,

Brentwood Watchdog

Setting the Record Straight - Not as Easy as it Looks

During the April 13, 2009 Brentwood City Commission meeting, Commissioner Regina Smithson spent a few minutes at the conclusion of the meeting attempting to set the record straight about an answer she gave to a question during the first candidate forum in March. (An important move in what will likely be a close election with 10 candidates running for four seats. Don't forget, Election Day is Tuesday, May 5, 2009.)

The question Commissioner Smithson was asked during that forum, along with the other candidates, was, "Have you ever voted to raise a tax or a fee?" A straight-forward question if ever there was one. (Some people would even say it's a yes or no question -- people including Mayor Joe Reagan who clearly took it that way when he answered, albeit incorrectly, "No.") Commissioner Smithson mentioned a small cell phone fee increase as being the only one she could remember.

Well, almost a month after that March 16 forum Commissioner Smithson used her platform during a City Commission meeting to correct herself and expunge her record on fee increases. In fact, she seized the opportunity to proclaim that the commission has never raised fees on the citizens of Brentwood.

Some 9,300 residences in Brentwood that saw their sewer bill increase 25% a year ago (an average of $6.77 per month per customer) may disagree with Commissioner Smithson's assertion. Watch the video, decide for yourself, and vote on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Your Vote Determines the Course Brentwood Takes.

Brentwood City Commission Election

Two weeks from today, on May 5, Brentwood voters will head to the polls to choose four new City Commissioners from among a field of 10 candidates. Of course, early voting is already open at the Brentwood Library and Brentwood Municipal Building, so if you've made up your mind about which candidates will get your vote you can cast your ballot between now and April 30.

If, however, you're still trying to decide which candidates to support, videos of most of the community forums are available on the Internet.

The Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum as part of their Membership Luncheon on March 19. You can view it on their website or below.

The Brentwood Woman's Club presented their annual candidate forum on March 30 at the Municipal Building. You can view it on the city's website or below.

The final forum was presented by a group of Brentwood Parents at Ravenwood High School on April 16. That forum will air on Williamson County's Government and Education Channel WC-TV (Comcast Channel 3 & Charter Channel 96) on Thursday, April 23, at 11:30am, 4:30pm, and 9:30pm according to the online schedule.

No matter who receives your vote, the important thing is that you vote. Lets make this a record-setting turnout for Brentwood elections. Agree?

BCS Chamber Forum

Brentwood Woman's Club Forum

Only available on the City of Brentwood's website. Here.