Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mayoral Resignation Appointment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pineville residents demand vote as council prepares to appoint interim mayor; heated public comment follows
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Pineville City Council to allow voters, not the council, to choose the next mayor after Mayor Rich Dupree delayed his resignation; speakers raised ethics questions about payments connected to a council member and demanded a special election. The council cited state law and moved to executive session on an EEOC matter.
Dozens of Pineville residents packed the city council chamber on Oct. 8 to urge an immediate election for mayor and to criticize the council's plan to appoint an interim mayor rather than place the office before voters.
Speakers including Mark Mertens and James Reshel told the council they had fielded hundreds of calls from residents demanding that the people, not the council, select the next mayor. Mertens said council appointment of a mayor would be "stacking the deck," and Reshel urged the council to "do the right thing" and allow a special election rather than appoint a member of the existing council.
Several commenters raised ethics concerns. One resident alleged a $2,500 payment connected to a councilman and questioned whether that presented a conflict; the councilman responded that the payment came from a campaign, not from city funds. The exchange remained contested in the meeting: a resident said the payment suggested improper influence, and the council member replied he was paid for campaign work and not by the city.
Residents also expressed broader frustration with city leadership and process. Eddie Lashney told the council it was "holding an election hostage" by delaying a vote and urged the body to let citizens decide. Others described the episode as political and urged the council to restore public trust.
City staff and a council speaker explained the legal constraints: under the state statute cited at the meeting, if the next regular election is within 18 months, the council must appoint an interim mayor rather than hold a special election; that statutory limit was offered as the reason the council said it could not unilaterally call a special election.
After more than an hour of public comment, and following procedural business, the council voted to adjourn into executive session to consider an EEOC complaint filed with Britney Poston. The meeting cleared the room and moved to closed session; the council later reconvened briefly and adjourned.
What happens next: the council indicated it will continue to receive citizen input and handle the personnel matter in executive session; residents said they expect further public pressure and possible legal or electoral options if the appointment process continues without a public vote.
