Another attempt to remove Alexander planning commission chairman fails

It has been two months since the Alexander City Council voted to keep Planning Commission Chairman Michael Huck on the planning commission after a complaint was submitted following the October, 2023 commission meeting. Two more attempts have been made. One at the January council meeting and another during the February meeting, with the same results.

At the December council meeting Council Member Joy Gray made a motion to remove Huck from the planning commission based on a complaint concerning comments he made towards another planning commission member after the October planning meeting. That complaint was investigated by City Attorney Chris Madison with the aid of Assistant Police Chief Jessica Burnett.

The January and February attempts to remove Huck were based on raw information provided by Gray at each meeting. Huck was not allowed to comment.

The second "complaint" 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 for LRWRA to approve the city's new master development plan. The LRWRA provides sewer service to the northern end of Alexander.

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.

"I'm sure we're all tired of hearing about this, but I brought it up yet again," Gray began. "And I said I'm just going to keep bringing it up, I guess, until I'm either not on this council or don't run or whatever choice I decide to make."

"And then this was an email he sent to Metroplan," Gray continued. "I'll just read an excerpt here that, 'I sent an email to the mayor and office manager (who by the way is Haskell's city treasurer) explaining what I needed and why. I even checked with Cheryl and she told me the started files are on her computer, which I've passed on to city hall. So far there has been no recognition of my request. Not to mention there hasn't been a traffic count in two years. Duh-duh-duh-duh. And talks about East Azalea.'

"Which I mean, this mayor and these other new people have been here one year," Gray noted. "So it hasn't been done in two years. There's been two administrations are at fault. But then his next line goes on to say;"

'I'm now the evil man who knows nothing. I'm pulling all of this out of my dot-dot-dot.' "Instead of putting a word there," Gray explaining the dot-dot-dot. Finishing the sentence Gray says, 'just to be annoying. No one is willing to listen to those of us who have been doing this the longest.'

"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," Gray continued. "So I get it that we're not going to vote to remove him because those of us that are embarrassed will vote yes and the rest of y'all for whatever reason have it in your mind that you would have to do that job or whatever. He now has a co-person (co-chair) with him so she could just take over till we filled that position later on."

This year's co-chair is Planning Commission Member and City Council Member Juanita Wilson. In the past planning commission members Stephanie Beck and Tonya Prowse have rotated serving in that position.

"I will move that we remove Michael Huck as the head of the planning commission once again," Gray said. "So that is my motion and here's yet another piece of evidence from his own (E-mail) account. So there."

The portion of the E-mail Gray skipped was the first paragraph which reads, "Well it's that time of year again when I'm suppose to send you the list of building, construction and manufactured home permits. However, as you know we are under new management. Even worse, there is no one left in city hall hall from the previous administration. They've all been driven out. With Cheryl gone there is no one there who knows how this works."

As part of the master plan strategy Metroplan wants Alexander, every January, to send a list of the building, construction and manufactured home permits sold in the previous year. Along with an annual traffic count, done in specified locations, Metroplan can monitor the city's growth and use that information for potential grants. Also, this type of information is important to developers.

The E-mail ended with, "Perhaps you can contact them asking for the information and explain it's purpose. Not to mention, I need to see it to determine if any permits were sold outside of Alexander."

No one on the city council asked how Gray acquired the E-mail, which was sent through the city E-mail system. In researching how a member of the city council would acquire an E-mail sent by someone else The Alexandrian contacted an individual familiar with the system who said, "No one has (administrative) privilege at city hall." The person at Metroplan says she didn't "Forward" the E-mail to anyone and Metroplan has not received a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Alexandrian has contacted Gray by E-mail asking how she acquired the E-mail. As of this writing she has not responded.

Voting "Yes" on the motion were council members Joy Gray, Angela Griffin and Gina R. Thomas-Littlejohn. 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, resulting in Five "No" and three "Yes.".

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is March 18, 6:00 PM at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.