I attended the city of Black Diamond council meeting on Thursday, Jan. 7. I must say I was quite shocked at what transpired during that meeting.

When council woman (Erika) Morgan introduced motions related to items on the agenda, those items were pulled from the agenda and not discussed again. There was no debate, it was just pulled. Nothing was accomplished by doing this.

New council members were advised by those more “experienced” to review the parliamentary rules ensuring that things were done in accordance with those rules. But no one deeming themselves more versed in those rules, said a word when they were broken. They were broken many times during the meeting.

I also witnessed very angry and terse responses from the mayor with regard to committees. She basically stated she had the power to have committees and she could dissolve them all, and would. This is false. I read the council rules and the committees were formed by the City Council and the mayor has no power to dissolve them.

I was alarmed by the response when one of Black Diamond’s citizens spoke and was critical of the bullying by the mayor and by council member (Janie) Edelman. In violation of his free speech rights, he was yelled at and graveled down by the mayor. Earlier in the meeting, a member of the public spoke criticizing council member Morgan. The mayor did not stop the person at all for the very same behavior.

I know that I am not the only one that felt this way, and I’m alarmed that this unprofessional and rule-breaking conduct has been common place over the last several meetings.

Lee Ann Garcia

Black Diamond