A hearing of persons resulted in two citizens being ejected from the council chambers during a meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen on Tuesday night. Public Works Director Mark Nash announced that he would be retiring effective Jan. 31, 2024. Three members of the Board of Aldermen were present: Kyle Williams, Shawn Bolerjack, and Amanda Duncan. Alderwoman Kala Sisco absent due to work.
Mayor Greg Parker announced he’s seeking reelection in 2024.
Citizen Debbie Murphy had addressed the board multiple times during past aldermanic and committee meetings, discussing city purchases, the city’s relationship with the Dent County Animal Welfare Society, and calling for transparency, alleging a lack of communication with the constituency on the part of the city government.
Murphy was on the agenda twice for that night’s meeting. On one signup sheet, she wrote “TBD” as her request, and on the other, she wrote “previous questions.”
Mayor Greg Parker told Murphy that she would be given five minutes per agenda item, which is the policy for hearings of persons included with the signup sheet.
Murphy asked for any questions or comments to be held until the end, so she would get her full five minutes.
“The clock started as soon as you started talking, ma’am,” replied Parker.
During the first portion of her hearing, Murphy discussed mostly topics she had brought up in prior meetings, saying that she had not heard any follow-ups from city government. She discussed the possibilities of having town hall meetings, her grievances about the policy in place for scheduling hearings of persons on the meeting agenda, and requested follow-ups to several topics she had discussed in previous meetings. She also discussed redistricting Salem, saying the town needs more aldermen to prevent frequent unanimous votes, and asked to see minutes from closed sessions. Concluding her first five minutes, she told the board that “optics is everything” and admonished board members who she alleges spend too much time on their phones during the meetings, although she said she understood that there may be agendas or other relevant files on the phones.
Between her two agenda items, Murphy asked Parker if the board was going to respond to her questions before she moved on to her second piece.
“No, I’m just listening to hear you out,” said Parker.
Murphy said she was done with her first piece, and Parker said she could go ahead and present her second item.
“Oh. So I’m not getting any answers to these questions?” asked Murphy.
“No. We’re here to listen,” replied Parker.
“So, you can expect that anybody that comes to the meetings won’t have their issues addressed? Is that what you’re saying?” said Murphy.
“No, I’m here to listen to you. That’s what you signed up for, is hearing of persons. That’s for us to listen to you speak,” said Parker.
Murphy, for her second piece, shared her concerns about the previously approved purchase of a Hydrovac truck, a piece of excavation equipment for the utility departments. The board was scheduled to select a bid for the truck during that meeting. Murphy brought up concerns about training, money spent, the winterization of the vehicle, and safety. She also made allegations about city employees spending time on Facebook, which she alleged had caused a local business owner to have to seek a conditional use permit.
At the end of her second piece, Parker thanked her for speaking.
“Appreciate it, appreciate all the information, and taking the time to do all that research for some of us,” said Parker.
“So again, I’m going back to—You will not answer? Before when I’ve been here you answered questions. Is this a new guideline that you’re following?” asked Murphy.
“No. This is hearing of persons, and that’s what you signed up for. You wanted to be heard. We set a time limit, and then we listened to you,” said Parker. “If there’s any other future responses, it’ll be posted on our agendas.”
“I’m only going to take this as what I see it as; Information not being given to the people,” said Murphy. “Whenever you’ve been interviewing people that wanted to close the street, they gave the information, you asked the questions, and they answered or you answered. What’s the difference?”
“There is none,” replied Parker.
“Ok, so I would expect some answers,” said Murphy.
“Well, when we post those in the agendas, everything will be there for your viewing and it’ll be there for the public. Thank you for your time,” said Parker.
“Completely got it,” said Murphy, leaning back up to the mic.
“That’s enough,” said Parker.
“That’s enough? You said that’s enough?” Murphy said, angrily.
“Yes ma’am. Your time is up,” said Parker.
“You can’t talk to people like that,” said Mike Murphy, who was in the gallery.
“You are elected officials!” said Debbie Murphy.
At that point, Parker requested that Salem Police Chief Joe Chase escort the Murphys out of the meeting, and Chase stood up to comply.
“Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?” shouted Debbie Murphy. “Yeah, you really want to watch some YouTube videos on city council with thirty people?”
Chase escorted the Murphys from the building, allowing them to leave behind a video camera that was being used to record the proceedings.
Later in the meeting, Parker announced that he’s seeking reelection in the 2024 April municipal election.
“It’s been almost two years ago, […] since I took office as mayor. Our utility reserves were at $19,000. When we end our fiscal year next year, which I’m proud of, we will be a little over a million dollars, getting closer to the goal of where we should have been to begin with,” said Parker. “Progress is happening; It doesn’t happen overnight. We have years, decades, of stuff that is broken in our city, and that needs to be addressed. We continue to work on it. I’ve worked on cutting the city’s budget for finances, looking at other ways that the city can generate revenue. Created and established order in a lot of our committees, where everybody was just running wild, and got them a little more organized. We put out a lot more information now for the city than what they did in the past.”
Parker said he cares about the city and its future.
“My predecessors, and anybody that sits on this board would agree with me that I love this city. I’ve lived here practically all my life. I’ve raised my kids, most of my children have graduated high school here. I actually care what happens to this city. I care about the people that live here. I care about your future. That’s why tonight, I’m proud to announce that I will be running for re-election in the year 2024,” he said.
Parker said that he strives to maintain an “open door policy”, and that anyone who had questions or concerns could reach out to him at mayor@salemmo.com.
Public Works Director Mark Nash also made a big announcement during the meeting, saying he would be retiring effective Jan. 31, 2024. He said he wanted to give plenty of time to find a replacement, and that he would be around to answer questions even after his retirement date.
“I’ll give a speech later on, but I just wanted you all to know that I appreciate the time that I’ve been able to work here,” said Nash.
Alderman Bolerjack said he appreciates all that Nash has done for the city, and that his announcement was somewhat a surprise, but that he understood that he was looking forward to retirement. Nash replied that it was time, citing personal and family reasons that require more of his time.
“I just want to say, Mark, thank you for all your years of service, dedication, and commitment that you’ve put forth for the city. You’re constantly on-call, you were always there. When we had a problem that needed to be addressed, you’d answer the phone,” Parker told Nash. “You will be truly missed.”
Also during the meeting, the board discussed or approved:
• bids for a new Hydrovac truck, which according to staff will help employees excavate dangerous or tricky utilities, save time, and allow the utility department to fix water leaks faster. The purchase had been approved as part of the current fiscal year’s budget. Nash brought four bids before the board, saying that two of the submitted trucks would not be able to be used by the city due to their size, leaving two other options. The aldermen decided on an option presented by Key Equipment included new excavation module on the 2014 truck, along with sales support, training, and a 90-day warranty. The vote to accept the bid for $195,487.50 from Key Equipment was 3-0, with Williams making the motion, and Bolerjack offering a second.
• an ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign the Administrative Procedures Guide for floodplain management and flood hazard reduction for the city. The vote was 3-0 in favor.
• the purchase of a new copier and printer for the Administration building. The board selected a Kyocera 5054ci at a purchase cost of $7,503.87, with a five-year maintenance and supplies contract for $1,584 annually. The vote was 3-0 in favor.
• the emergency purchase of a reclosure, a piece of electrical equipment at the substation. Nash told the board that damage had been done by a squirrel at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, and that the piece that was damaged helps protect other equipment and urgently needs to be replaced. The board approved the purchase by a 3-0 vote, and City Administrator Sally Burbridge said funds for the purchase would be coming from an insurance claim.
• the sale of two police vehicles on Purple Wave, an auction site, as well as the purchase of a 2023 Dodge Durango from Behlmann Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Troy. The police department uses the sale of older vehicles to offset the cost of the new ones, ensuring that the department always has up-to-date cruisers. Bids were not necessary, as the state has a cooperative purchasing program, negotiating prices and authorizing dealers for municipal purchases. Both items were approved by 3-0 votes in favor.
• a change order for work being done as part of the Welcome Home program. The vote was 3-0 in favor.
• a routine resolution providing for the 2024 municipal election by a 3-0 vote in favor.
The board tabled a conditional use permit for a motorcycle detailing shop on Louise Street. Alderman Williams signaled that he was in favor of granting the permit with certain stipulations, despite the Planning and Zoning Board’s 6-1 recommendation against awarding the permit. Williams made a motion to that effect which died without a second. Parker suggested tabling the item until the next meeting to get Kala Sisco’s input. The board voted 3-0 to table.
