How, technically, did Emperor Jones take control of Tulare?
He wasn’t elected mayor; in fact, he’s claimed the office is purely ceremonial.
But that’s not how he behaves.
He holds court. He hosts private forums.
“This isn’t a public event,” Jones said of his May 31 “town hall” meeting. “This is money that I took out of my own pocket to pay for this event.”
The intent being that he could be selective of attendees at the door.
We’re talking about a control freak.
So much so that four times he has thwarted Councilman Jose Sigala’s attempt to reorganize the city council by stripping Jones of his title.
According to our own Nancy Vigran: This is the fourth time Sigala has approached the subject. The last time he made the request to former city manager Joe Carlini who placed it on the agenda, but it was omitted by the Mayor Carlton Jones. Sigala subsequently asked council to vote on having the item placed on the agenda – it was shot down 3-2.
Riddle me this–How is it that Jones is even allowed to vote on anything concerning himself? I’m aware that with his abstention there could be a hung tally at 2-2. Ideally, there should be some mechanism to resolve this–because recusal would be the decent thing.
I’ve written this before: Ask yourself if Jones is a decent individual.
Just wait. It gets worse.
Sigala successfully petitioned City Manager Willard Epps to agendize a council reorganization for its June 5 meeting. But that item is not actually on the agenda.
Why?
Because Carlton Jones removed it.
Riddle me this–how is the mayor allowed to cherry pick agenda items?
I mean, such an action is more than purely ceremonial. It’s an abuse of power that amounts to an obstruction of the will of the people. Remember–he can always, as he has previously, vote against a council reorganization.
And I was under the impression that agendizing items was within the purview of the city manager’s job description.
But I’m only a matador with a toothpick.
So riddle me this, Tulareans–what sort of city do you have, and what sort of city do you want?
What you currently have is a city dominated by an apparently addled mayor who perhaps has suffered too many blows to the head. A mayor who so jealously guards his “purely ceremonial” power that he would go behind the back of the people to remove an agenda item when he so easily could just vote it down.
Publicly.