Car issue dominates North Adams City Council meeting
Tuesday night's North Adams City Council meeting began with an impassioned 12-minute speech by North Adams Mayor John Barrett III.
His remarks about the City Council's discussion of his use of a city car brought a loud cheer from his many supporters in a standing-room-only crowd. However, the long deliberation and discussion of the issue after the mayor and most of his supporters had left indicates that questions linger in some residents' minds about the use of city-owned vehicles, including a city-owned vehicle the mayor at times uses.
Any further inquiry may not be taken by the City Council, however, as council members voted to file a proposal from Councilor Clark Billings requiring, among other things, that the Lumina be stored on city property as often as is feasible. The Council also rejected a multi-part ordinance revision put forward by Councilor Keith Bona that would, among other things, have taken supervision of the use of city-owned vehicles away from the mayor and returned it to that of the city clerk, as was the case before a change in 1994.
Though questions about Barrett's use of city vehicles have come up in the past, this latest round of questions sprang from an anti-Barrett Website, northadamsfree.com, which makes several charges against the mayor. Barrett has sued over its content the site's two creators, city residents William Davis and John Choquette Jr., who attended last night's meeting.
The vehicle in question, a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina, is registered as a police vehicle and has civilian plates. Barrett said he has kept the vehicle at his city residence to avoid vandalism that has been suffered by city vehicles parked at City Hall.
After a request by former city councilor Vincent Melito, the City Council at its April 11 meeting referred the question of use of the car to its General Government subcommittee. The April 18 meeting of this subcommittee on the issue brought out about 30 residents, many highly critical of the mayor. This meeting was also televised a number of times on a local cable community access channel.
Barrett supporters gave a loud cheer, as he entered the packed City Council chambers Tuesday night, April 25. Barrett spoke first about several of the business expansions, creations, and relocations to the city.
"We're working on all kinds of things in the city; we're seeing things happen, and yet I have sat back and I have witnessed what to me is some of the most despicable types of things happening," Barrett said.
"I'll talk to you about the accountability we have in the city. For the 17th consecutive year on June 30th, we'll close these books in the black. We will have more free cash than we ever had," he said. "I watched as the city council at the last meeting voted an appropriation of $136,000 for the medical insurance trust, and not one question was asked. Yet you spent two hours debating on who uses a Chevy Lumina."
Barrett said later of Davis and Choquette, "They're using this body ... to carry out their message, and that's wrong."
"My answer to that is ... I don't want it in my yard. I don't want it at the end of my street. I drive one vehicle at a time," Barrett said of the Lumina. "As I've indicated to several city councilors, we'll put it in the city yard, we'll put it anyplace they want. I don't really care. I have my own car. I happen to own my own private vehicle that I use."
"This is my 17th year [as mayor]. I've made mistakes. I'll tell you, my attitude sometimes isn't the best, and I'll tell you anybody's that's in this job wouldn't have a great attitude either, because you say 'no' so much," Barrett said. "Question everything you want, but don't question my integrity, please. Our books have been audited every year by an independent private firm since 1985 ... the last two years we haven't had any findings. It's perfect. Everything's been in order and we check everything and there are controls."
Barrett and Public Safety Commissioner John Morocco said the question of the mayor's use of city vehicles is being investigated by the state attorney general and the state Ethics Commission.
Melito, a longtime Barrett opponent, speaking on Bona's proposals later in the meeting, said of Barrett's speech, "This evening we were, I think, entertained by some great theater and some great public relations. This is not about theater; it's not about public relations. This is about good government - running it efficiently, running it legally, running it effectively."
"When we met last week, we left with more questions raised than answers that were given," he said. "In fact, the people in the audience probably asked the most important questions that the committee should have been asking, in getting documentation. And some of these people did bring out some very important facts."
Said Councilor Daniel Alcombright, "I feel bad that the mayor's left because I kind of resent the fact that he felt that this shouldn't have been, by this council, referred to a committee. This city council has an obligation, just as he has, to all the voters of this city, like it or not, that have a problem."
"We had some people who were questioning this car that came to this city council to try to get some answers. It was referred in good faith by this city council to a committee," Alcombright said. "The committee, I think, did a very good job in listening to the people who were there, and I think's that's the way our government should be. We should listen to all of the people all of the time whether we agree or whether we don't agree."
"I said at the last council meeting that I am so sick and tired of hearing about this car that I don't think I'd accept one for a gift," Alcombright said. "I'm just upset with the whole thing, but I think it should be resolved."
Bona explained the reasons for his proposed ordinance change.
"I still feel it should go back to the way it was before 1994. We heard several people speak during the general government meeting, including some of the councilors that were there, saying that it's obvious there needs to be a change, because we were not able to answer questions when cars were taken out, how they were being used," Bona said. "It is on an honor system right now, and even though the community is split, in some cases the honor is what's being questioned."
Bona said that in state ethics law the appearance of wrongdoing comes up often.
"It doesn't even have to be illegal, but you should not give the appearance," Bona said, "and I think the appearance has been given or we wouldn't be hearing all the people ... questioning the use of these vehicles."
After Bona's proposal was defeated, Melito asked that the council revisit the issue at some point in the future, but council members made no response.
