Boycotting council, mayor meet briefly

~ Both sides in the dispute claim authority over Cairo city affairs.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Friday's special meeting called by the four boycotting members of the Cairo City Council didn't last long -- only about five minutes.

Mayor Paul Farris didn't even stay that long, not wanting to preside over what he called an illegal meeting.

"They have no standards they follow," Farris said. "There are so many things that have not been done right."

On Dec. 27, four members of the city council -- Bobby Whitaker, Elbert "Bo" Purchase, Sandra Tarver and Linda Jackson -- issued a statement saying they would no longer attend meetings called by Farris.

Both Farris and the boycotting council -- a majority of the six-member body -- claim authority over city affairs, creating two competing government bodies in the town of about 3,600.

On Thursday Farris called an emergency meeting to approve an application for a sewer grant. The only council member to attend was Carolyn Ponting.

In response the four boycotting members called their own meeting on Friday to approve the grant application, to approve payment of the city payroll (except for department heads hired by Farris who haven't had council approval), to approve payment of a city loan and to pass a motion to prevent Farris from entering the city into any more lawsuits without council approval.

Farris showed up at the meeting to preside over the vote on the grant, but then left. He contends the meeting is illegal because there was more than one item on the agenda and because several of the items weren't emergency items.

Terry Mutchler with the Illinois attorney general's office said the meeting can be held without the mayor and any item can be discussed and voted on as long as an agenda was posted 48 hours before the meeting.

Silence fell over the room as the mayor took his seat, with no talk between him and the council members. Police officers stood just outside the chamber door waiting for an altercation to break out.

The council approved the grant application 4-0, the mayor signed off on it and immediately instructed City Clerk Debran Sudduth to deliver the paperwork to the Southern Five Regional Planning Agency in Grand Chain, Ill.

"I'm waiting for a motion to adjourn," Farris said after Sudduth left. The four council members, however, were not ready to make that motion. Instead, they passed a motion for Jackson to act as clerk.

"Are you acting as a clerk?" Farris asked Jackson, who replied that she was. At that point, Farris left the meeting and a motion was passed to have Whitaker preside.

Some members of the audience could be heard muttering, "This is illegal."

The four council members quickly addressed the other items on the agenda with little to no discussion, passing each item 4-0. After five minutes it was over, but the conflict wasn't.

Whitaker stood up after the meeting to address the collected audience and members of the news media.

"This city is getting torn apart, and this is one example," Whitaker said. "We've got a life commitment in this community, and we're here to protect this community."

As Purchase left the room, he compared Farris' governing style to Stalinist Russia. "We're under a dictatorship," Purchase said.

While the boycotting council members' nemesis Farris had already left the meeting room, one of the mayor's supporters stuck around to trade harsh words with Whitaker.

Suzy Holland, a Farris supporter and member of community action group Concerned Citizens for the Recovery of Cairo, stood near the room's exit. Holland had a petition in her hand calling for the ouster of the four boycotting council members.

Holland called Whitaker a liar, and the councilman responded it was none of her business.

"This is my business," said Holland.

As Whitaker tried to leave the room, Holland blocked him and argued, at which time he warned her "don't get in my way."

After Whitaker left, Holland continued to express her anger at the boycotting four.

"This has been going on for so long," said Holland. "I cry at church on Sunday because we can't get anywhere. Am I tired of it? Hell yes! I'm tired of four people running this town."

Holland accused council members of corruption and being part of political machines. Holland said Farris is not party to the corruption, but a reformer trying to clean up government.

Farris, Holland and other Farris supporters say the conflict boils down to party politics -- Farris is a Republican and the four boycotting council members are Democrats. Holland said the Concerned Citizens group is fighting a Democratic machine.

"You don't know the crime and corruption in this town," the shaken Holland said after Whitaker left.

Whitaker denies any political motivation other than also wanting to clean up the government corruption.

"Politics has nothing to do with it," Whitaker said. "It has to do with what is right and what's lawfully right."

Farris and his supporters accuse Jackson of being illegally appointed by to her council seat and Whitaker of stuffing ballots in his last election.

Whitaker said a court case disputing his election was thrown out, which Farris confirms, and that Jackson's appointment was completely legal.

Farris is currently trying to get a court to remove the four boycotting council members. The four members are trying to get state and federal investigators to audit city government.

But with Farris' term lasting until 2007, it appears the deadlock will continue until one side is removed from power.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182