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Residents press Goodyear council on interim city managers and alleged smelter pollution
Summary
During public comment, residents urged faster transparency in the city manager recruitment, criticized frequent interim appointments, and a resident alleged toxic emissions from a nearby aluminum smelting operation, asking the council to consider revoking its business license and to protect public health.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the March 2 Goodyear City Council meeting to press elected officials on two related concerns: the pace and transparency of the city manager recruitment and health worries tied to a nearby aluminum-smelting operation.
Mary Kay, a resident who asked the council to ‘‘get out of the chambers and get into the city in pairs,’’ criticized the pace of the recruitment and said she has been told the city has appointed ‘‘another interim’’—a count she estimated as seven in recent years. She urged listening tours in neighborhoods such as Pebble Creek so council members can gather constituent input.
Jill Bham thanked City Manager Winnette Reed for her service and asked for more transparency about recruitment advertising and how the outgoing manager might assist in training a successor.
Shana Perry said she has experienced frequent, strong emissions she attributed to a nearby aluminum smelting facility (the speaker referred to it verbally during testimony). She told the council the emissions have made her and others ill, are driving down property values and prompted residents to list homes. ‘‘If we can’t breathe, our politics don’t matter,’’ Perry said, urging the council to use its authority, including license revocation where appropriate.
Council members asked city staff and the manager to provide data about regulatory authority, enforcement options and what the council can legally require. In later remarks Council Member Terry and Vice Mayor Hampton described the manager-search process timeline and steps the council has taken, saying the subcommittee has moved as quickly as legally allowed with RFP and posting requirements and that interviews were underway.
The city said it will provide additional information on the recruitment process and follow up on the public-health complaint about the smelting facility.
No formal enforcement action or council direction to revoke licenses was recorded at the meeting.
