After failing to remove Planning Commission Chairman Michael Huck in December, 2023; Alexander Council Member Joy Gray has had three re-dos. All of which have failed. This time though she was called-out for it by fellow Council Member Harold Timmerman.
This latest attempt at a do-over started out as the previous two, with Gray admitting she's fighting a lost cause. But it's not harassment.
"So this is just my monthly reassessing y 'all on whether or not you'd like to remove the head of the planning commission," Gray began. "I know the answer will probably be, it's probably a waste of time, but I'm going to keep doing it every month until either something happens or elections happen."
"So I would move that we remove Michael Huck, the head of the planning commission," Gray said.
"Now, would you call this one, fourth month you brought this up," Timmerman asked? "Now, wouldn't that be an act of harassment against Mr. Huck?"
"No," Gray responded.
"Yes, it would," Timmerman replied.
Gray claimed it's not harassment because, "I'm not asking to remove him from the city, I'm asking to remove him from this position."
After receiving a second on her motion Gray continued on her latest reasoning to have Huck removed.
"I've gotten yet another email this month from someone who works in the city asking me to bring it up again because of his harassment via email of people," Gray began. "He harassed some people literally claiming that there was hacking going on with the city now."
Background:
At the January, 2024 council meeting Gray produced a second complaint to add to the failed attempt in December at removal. Gray said this one was in the form of a request from an employee with the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority (LRWRA). According to Gray, "The person that represents them has specifically asked if she can speak with anyone besides Michael Huck, because of his way of conducting himself with her and his just sort of general rudeness."
Alexander has been waiting since April, 2023 for LRWRA to approve the city's new master development plan. The LRWRA provides sewer service to the northern end of Alexander, hence the interest in Alexander's future plans. Next month will be one year since sending the proposed plan to it's first stop for approval, the Little Rock Planning Department.
At the February 20 council meeting Gray tried to use an E-mail sent by Huck to a member of Metroplan using the city E-mail system. It's Metroplan that has been aiding Alexander in writing its new master development plan.
In January Huck asked the mayor and city hall office manager to produce a report on the previous year's building/construction permits. This is an annual request by Metroplan as part of the ongoing updating of the city's master development plan. After not receiving any acknowledgment or response, Huck asked his Metroplan contact to make the request and explain its importance. The files were already started by a previous employee.
It was Gray who was now the insulted one.
"So no, that was not sent by a morose teenage girl," Gray said. "That was sent by a grown man who represents the city. So, that's embarrassing."
Since Gray never explained how she acquired an E-mail sent by Huck, using the city E-mail system, he questioned a city employee familiar with the system.
"This is now considered 'Harassment' and the word 'Hack' was never used," Huck said later.
As stated in the original article published March 5 in The Alexandrian, the city employee said, "No one has (administrative) privilege at city hall."
After the publication of the first article, Alexander Mayor Crystal Herrmann admitted in an E-mail that she has access to everyone's E-mails. In an update article published March 12 she was quoted as writing, "The city email which you conduct the Alexander Planning commission business on belongs to the City of Alexander. As Mayor (chief executive officer), I hold the administrator role on the city's email system. If there is a personnel change and/or a large number of complaints I can and will have the emails forward to my email. Council member Joy Gray received your inappropriate email from my office. The Council is over your position and Joy Gray is the Council member that handles the agenda. As Mayor, if I receive complaints and it falls under Alexander City Councils [sic] respectability it will be sent to Joy Gray by my office staff or myself."
Prior to the council's vote on the motion, the discussion began with Council Member Wayne Smith telling Gray this "sounds personal."
"No, it's not personal Wayne," Gray said.
"It sounds personal to me," Smith replied.
Gray then began the monthly listing of grievances starting with October, 2023.
"But he's done things in meetings where I'm not even there, but he's admitted to doing it and it's in documentation," Gray said. "The person has come and told what he's done. He's done things in these (council) meetings. He's sent emails that are wildly inappropriate, but again we might as well just go ahead and vote because everyone's going to be like oh you're harassing a private citizen and that's rich coming from some people in the council."
Council Member Joe Pollard asked, "Why do you (not) forgive this?"
"This is not, this is not church, this is city council," she replied. "So that's between him or you and whoever you deal with outside of here at church setting."
Voting "No" were Joe Pollard, Mitchell W. Smith, Harold Timmerman, and Juanita Wilson. Council member Tony Staton was absent, which counts as a "No" vote. Voting "Yes" on the motion were council members Joy Gray, Angela Griffin and Gina R. Thomas-Littlejohn, resulting in Five "No" and three "Yes."
Planning Commission reappointment process questioned
Chapman was the final appointment that completed the five-member commission. That seat was vacant for five years. He was appointed in mid-term by the city council in August, 2022. Chapman is a former city employee working for the street and parks departments. His term expires April 6, 2024.
In an interesting turn of events, the normal simple reappointment process became a discussion of whether planning commission seats should be considered open when the term is expiring; even if the current planning member is willing to serve another three-year term.
Gray asked, "I don't have any recollection of, do people on the planning commission just decide they stay? Does the planning commission not advertise that position being opened? So do we just automatically rubber stamp people?"
"We automatically put them back in there because they're learning what needs to be done," said Council Member Juanita Wilson. Wilson is also a member of the planning commission.
Huck pointed out it was just last year planning commission members Tonya Prowes and Stephanie Beck were reappointed. Their new terms expire April 6, 2026.
A history of Planning Commission appointments
City Council Member Juanita Wilson and former Council Member Michael Huck were appointed by Mayor Paul Mitchell June 19, 2017. They were appointed to terms open from the original planning commission, which expired April 6, 2019. Because a quorum of five is three Huck and Wilson couldn't hold a meeting until they found a third person.
Former Council Member Stephanie Beck was appointed by Mitchell in March, 2018. Beck's first term expired April 6, 2020.
With three out of five members available they were able to hold their first meeting Tuesday, March 20, 2018. The terms of the two remaining vacancies would expire April 6, 2020 and April 6, 2021.
Tonya Prowse was appointed September, 2018. Her first term expired April 6, 2020. That still left the fifth position vacant and a term to expire April 6, 2021.
The council reappointed Wilson and Huck at the April, 2019 council meeting to their first full three-year terms. Those terms would expire April 6, 2022.
Beck and Prowse were reappointed by the council April, 2020. Their new terms would expire April 6, 2023.
In April, 2022 the city council reappointed Huck and Wilson for a second time. Their current terms will expire April 6, 2025.
The vacant planning commission seat's term expired April 6, 2021 beginning a new term to expire April 6, 2024. In August, 2022 former city employee Rodney Chapman was appointed by the council.
As stated above, Beck and Prowse were reappointed for a second time by the council March, 2023. Their current terms will expire April 6, 2026.
The vote
With what amounts to a four, four tie the motion to reappoint failed. Mayor Herrmann declined to exercise her option to break the tie by voting "Yes" as permitted under state law. The council took no decision on advertising the opening.
Under state law anyone whose term has expired is still able to keep that position unless they resign or are replaced.
Next Meeting
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