Folks take their seats as the District 4 public meeting was about to begin.
There were two of them. One in District 4, the other in District 1.
The District 4 meeting started at 6 p.m. at Woodland Park. About 85 people showed up to tell Councilwoman Leona Plaugh what they thought about the proposed contract. I listened to 10 people talk. Eight were opposed to it, and two were for it.
A sampling:
“City Council has interfered with our police department. We don’t have a good opportunity to see what our police can do.”
“I think it sounds like a recipe for confusion and mismanagement. A better merger would be (with the city and county’s) planning and zoning departments.”
“Lott can appreciate what police officers go through on a daily basis. He is interested in law enforcement and doing those things that make our community safe. We’ve had five chiefs in four years. It doesn’t get any better than Leon Lott.”
The District 1 meeting was at the Eau Claire Print Building. It started at 6:30, and I arrived at 7 p.m. About 115 people showed up. One big difference from the District 4 meeting were the number of public officials in attendance. I spotted:
I don’t think a single person attended the District 1 meeting who supported the contract. The best line of the night came from Mary Myers, the vocal president of the Gable Oaks Neighborhood Association. She was speaking to the City Council members in attendance:
“Look at yourselves. Do you feel slapped in the face if someone offered Richland County Council to take your spot?”
That got the crowd going. Rutherford concluded his remarks by asking everyone in attendance who was opposed to the contract to raise their hand. Every hand went up.
Three more meetings are scheduled. They are:
Adam Beam covers the City of Columbia for
Last night’s public meetings on the sheriff/police contract
Folks take their seats as the District 4 public meeting was about to begin.
There were two of them. One in District 4, the other in District 1.
The District 4 meeting started at 6 p.m. at Woodland Park. About 85 people showed up to tell Councilwoman Leona Plaugh what they thought about the proposed contract. I listened to 10 people talk. Eight were opposed to it, and two were for it.
A sampling:
The District 1 meeting was at the Eau Claire Print Building. It started at 6:30, and I arrived at 7 p.m. About 115 people showed up. One big difference from the District 4 meeting were the number of public officials in attendance. I spotted:
I don’t think a single person attended the District 1 meeting who supported the contract. The best line of the night came from Mary Myers, the vocal president of the Gable Oaks Neighborhood Association. She was speaking to the City Council members in attendance:
That got the crowd going. Rutherford concluded his remarks by asking everyone in attendance who was opposed to the contract to raise their hand. Every hand went up.
Three more meetings are scheduled. They are: