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Residents urge council to formally repudiate KKK recruitment material and challenge public-comment rules; council takes no resolution action
Summary
Multiple residents asked the council to adopt a formal resolution repudiating the Ku Klux Klan after recruitment materials circulated; commenters also raised complaints about public-comment rules and alleged unequal treatment. Council did not introduce a formal repudiation resolution at the meeting.
Several residents used the city2019s public-comment period to urge the Athens City Council to issue a formal resolution repudiating the Ku Klux Klan after recruitment materials appeared in the community; others criticized the council27s public-comment procedures and alleged unequal enforcement.
Steven (listed in the meeting record as a public commenter) read a clergy-authored letter submitted to a local paper that condemned KKK ideology and urged local leaders to reject the group2019s "hate group" legacy. He requested the council draft a formal repudiation resolution; a council motion to consider a resolution did not appear on the meeting agenda and no formal resolution was introduced or voted on at the meeting.
Other speakers used their three minutes to criticize council procedures, contend they had been treated unequally in prior meetings, and demand transparency. Resident Glenn Whiting raised multiple questions about procurement and past enforcement decisions and alleged inconsistent application of public-comment rules; his remarks included accusations about council conduct and court litigation he said followed previous actions. The council heard several motions from members to investigate staff or attorney actions, to allow livestream participants to speak, or to permit negative comments about the city on livestream. Those motions were declined or failed on roll call.
Key votes recorded during the public-comment portion included: - A motion to investigate who asked the city attorney to contact a resident about a settlement offer failed to get a second and died. - A motion to postpone a legal-settlement agenda item passed on roll-call vote (the item was postponed to a later meeting). - A motion to require that citizens be allowed to speak on livestream failed (no majority), and a motion to allow citizens to speak negatively about the city on livestream also failed.
Council responses: Council members and staff repeatedly referred residents to the existing public-comment rules and to prior work-session guidance. Staff and some council members explained that public-records and records-request fees are governed by state law (the Tennessee Public Records Act) and that council members are not exempt from public-records fees when requesting documents.
No formal resolution repudiating the KKK was introduced or adopted during the meeting; residents who requested it said they planned to return if no action was taken.
Speakers quoted in this article appeared during the public-comment period or during council motions about livestream and records issues.
