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Mayor breaks tie; Harrisville council approves Labor Day parade closures but defers parade policy
Summary
On Aug. 11 the Harrisville City Council approved Main Street parking and a road closure for the Harrisville Arts Labor Day parade, while voting to delay a formal parade policy. Mayor Gehring used mayoral authority to reorder agenda items and cast the deciding action after a 3–3 split earlier in debate.
The Harrisville City Council on Aug. 11 approved temporary parking restrictions and a noon road closure for the Harrisville Arts Labor Day parade but declined to finalize a citywide parade policy, with Mayor Gehring exercising procedural authority after a 3–3 split among aldermen.
Kathy Ashton, representing the Harrisville Arts Council, asked the council to block Main Street parking beginning at 7:00 a.m. to protect vendor spaces for the art fair and for public safety. Council discussion produced a tie when Alderman Vanderheuel moved to table the request pending review of a parade policy; the tie reverted to the mayor for a deciding action.
After Mayor Gehring moved to take up parade policy first, the council voted 5–1 to remove the policy from consideration until it is more detailed. Alderman Vanderheuel objected, saying, "I think we are making a mistake by not having this policy in place." Following that vote, the council approved the Arts Council's request to close Main Street parking at 7:00 a.m. and later approved a road closure at 12:55 p.m. for parade operations.
Votes and procedure: The initial motion to table the parking request (moved by Vanderheuel, seconded by McKenzie) resulted in a 3–3 split and went to the mayor. Mayor Gehring then reordered the agenda to address parade policy; a subsequent motion by Alderman Schwanz (seconded by Mason) passed 5–1 to defer the policy for additional detail. Council then approved the parking closure (motion by Mason, second by Claseman) with a 4–2 vote (Yays: Bean, Claseman, Mason, McKenzie; Nays: Schwanz, Vanderheuel). A separate motion to approve the road closure at 12:55 p.m. (moved by Mason, seconded by Claseman) carried unanimously.
Why it matters: The votes permit the Arts Council to proceed with public-safety-oriented closures for Labor Day while leaving broader rules about future parades and street closures to be developed later. Alderman Vanderheuel’s dissent signals council disagreement over whether the city should adopt standing parade rules before approving street closures.
Next steps: The parade closures are approved for the upcoming Labor Day event. The council removed the parade policy from the current agenda and indicated it will return when council and staff have developed more detailed language. The council's next regular meeting is Sept. 8, 2025.
