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Resident urges Council to hold mayor accountable, cites emergency-plan exchange and workplace concerns
Summary
During public comment, University Parkway resident Tina Hanna-Byer accused Mayor Michael Brennan of a combative approach that undermined Council and municipal staff during recent emergency response and council meetings, urged hiring outside counsel to investigate, and said city employees deserve a better workplace.
At the start of the Oct. 7 meeting, resident Tina Hanna-Byer addressed Council on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel and then pivoted to criticism of Mayor Michael Brennan's conduct in a recent Council of the Whole meeting.
Hanna-Byer said she reviewed the Sept. 19 Council of the Whole recording and characterized the Mayor's interaction with Council members about the city's emergency operations planning and the August 6 weather emergency as "needlessly combative." She alleged the Mayor "wrongly and purposefully manufactured unjust accusations against certain City Council members for cheap political talking points," and said the Mayor's behavior had contributed to a toxic workplace that could drive away Law Directors or department heads.
Hanna-Byer urged Council to consider hiring outside counsel to hold the Mayor accountable. "We cannot afford to lose another Law Director or Department Head because of the toxicity of the head of this administration," she said. She also referenced litigation (Daniel Grand v. City) and criticized prior related public commentary from the Mayor.
Mayor Brennan did not respond directly to the request for outside counsel during the public-comment segment recorded in the minutes. Council members later discussed the Emergency Operations Plan and urged the Mayor to sign it so the Police and Fire Departments could pursue federal and state funding and next steps.
Why it matters: the public comment raises questions about executive-council relations, administrative tone, and whether the city should pursue independent legal review of a mayoral conduct concern.
What’s next: Hanna-Byer said she would like Council to consider hiring outside counsel; Council members indicated they would gather information (Weiss said she would email the Mayor funding-source details referenced in the Emergency Operations Plan discussion).
