Tontitown Mayor Issues Four More Vetoes
Edgmon Thinks Council Should Pay For His Legal Fees
Last updated Tuesday, January 13, 2009 6:33 PM CST in News
By Bob Caudle
THE MORNING NEWS
TONTITOWN -- Mayor Joe Edgmon believes the Tontitown City Council should pay for his legal fees and Freedom of Information Act requests.
Edgmon issued four vetoes this week stemming from council actions taken at the Jan. 6 council meeting.
Edgmon vetoed a resolution stipulating the council did not authorize Edgmon to file complaints with the county prosecutor and state ethics commission against other Tontitown officials. The resolution also stated taxpayer money would not be spent in his defense should he be sued.
Edgmon filed six criminal complaints alleging various violations of the state's Freedom of Information Act -- one complaint against City Attorney Mark Dossett, three against Water and Sewer Executive Director Mick Wagner and two against the former chairman of the Planning Commission, now-Alderman David Bolinger.
Dennis Dean, a deputy prosecutor with the Washington County Prosecutor's Office, said he has completed his inquiry into the complaint against Dossett and will not file charges.
"I asked Mr. Dossett for additional information, he supplied it and I found that his actions do not rise to the level of criminal intent," Dean said Tuesday. "The other two have retained an attorney and I'm meeting with him this afternoon."
"It's bad when they try to legislate you out of doing your job," Edgmon said. "I have a lot of ordinances to defend. They can't just pick this one and say we're not going to pay to defend it."
Edgmon also vetoed a motion that he pay for costs of copies for a Freedom of Information Act request he made with the city attorney, saying he was acting as mayor at the time.
And he vetoed a resolution appointing Wagner to the Planning Commission, stating Wagner is a target of an ethics and criminal investigation.
Wagner, in fact, is the target of complaints filed by Edgmon with the Washington County Prosecutor's Office. The state Ethics Commission will neither confirm nor deny any ethics investigation.
Edgmon also vetoed an ordinance forming a Committee of the Whole, stating in his veto that "committees of the whole do not have authority for exclusive management and supervision of any function of the City Government."
While that is true, the ordinance forming the committee did not assert any management or supervisory functions. The ordinance formed one committee, with one monthly meeting, to cut down on the number of committee meetings the city has per week.
"I'm just a citizen of Tontitown who happens to be mayor," Edgmon said, explaining his vetoes. "I'm trying to fight corruption from the inside."
Dossett said Tuesday it's probably best he not comment on the proceedings.
"We'll take up the vetoes at the next council meeting," Dossett said. "I don't want to say anything to impact that vote."
The council can overturn mayoral vetoes with a two-thirds vote. Aldermen overrode three vetoes from December -- with 6-0 votes -- during their January meeting.
At A Glance
Duties Of Aldermen
City Council members are officers and officials of their city. The council:
• Has the management and control of the city finances and all real and personal property belonging to the city.
• Approves or disapproves an annual operating budget by February of each year.
• Sets the procedures by ordinance for making all purchases in second-class cities, such as Tontitown.
• May override the mayor's appointment and removal of department heads by two-thirds vote of the total membership.
Source: Arkansas Municipal League
Reader Comments (31 comment(s))
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
reddog wrote on Jan 13, 2009 9:11 PM:
oldbsr wrote on Jan 13, 2009 9:36 PM:
ozarks wrote on Jan 14, 2009 11:32 AM:
ardyman wrote on Jan 14, 2009 11:58 AM:
sidebar wrote on Jan 14, 2009 10:17 PM:
Have you ever been to a city council meeting to see Joe in action? If you had you would realize Joe hasn't been "driven" anywhere, in fact I think he was the first card carrying member of the mindless mayors. Pherhaps you should attend a few meetings and base your comments on facts rather than edited snipets provided in the paper. If you need it I would love to provide you with a copy of his ethics complaint so you could see first hand the mindless master at work. It seems that the mindless wonder that is Joe is the only reason Wagner's name is in the paper, pherhaps he is a dedicated citizen that wants to protect his town from mindless leadership. "
sidebar wrote on Jan 14, 2009 10:52 PM:
sidebar wrote on Jan 14, 2009 10:56 PM:
What great corruption is it that you speak of? Do you have inside info on moffia connections? Please inform the rest of us the factual basis that your comment alludes to. "
sidebar wrote on Jan 14, 2009 10:57 PM:
It will stop when the Mayor resigns or falls off a gazeebo. "
sidebar wrote on Jan 14, 2009 10:58 PM:
What tows do you think much of? Are you from Toadsuck? "
ozarks wrote on Jan 15, 2009 6:10 AM:
talking cat wrote on Jan 15, 2009 6:41 AM:
transparency of motives is of utmost importance.
we need to know who is to benefit from having a hand on the purse strings of the county water and sewer budget. "
not surprised wrote on Jan 15, 2009 7:25 AM:
ardyman wrote on Jan 15, 2009 8:59 AM:
The fact of all this is that whether this fine paper is editing snipets to make things appear worse or not doesn't matter. The fighting is happening and you all should be ashamed of the image you are giving the city. Council, Wagner and the Mayor are all guilty the constant bickering. "
ardyman wrote on Jan 15, 2009 9:03 AM:
sidebar wrote on Jan 15, 2009 9:08 AM:
Does Mr. Wagner own any property other than his residence that is in the TT planning area? You can follow your intuitive nose down to the county courthouse and resolve that inquiry. From what little it is that I know he does not. If worried about the purse strings look at the water and sewer budget and where the money is being spent, its public information and much of it is even posted to the TT website. That might give you some insight as to the purse purchases. An FOI of Mr. Wagner's personal assets and financial dealings are far beyond the intended scope of the FOIA. Maybe you would like to post your tax returns for the general public, but many U.S. citizens would find that intrusive, as would I. I can tell you who has benefitted from the money spent to date, the businesses that exist along 412 that were in danger of the ADEQ shutting them down for running leech lines next to a state hwy. Those same businesses that provide the sales tax revenue to fund such projects. Perhaps some investigation on your part of information that is properly part of the public record would quench your thirst for knowledge. You should try it out it is amazing what you can find without violating a citizens privacy, or you could just remain a "talking cat". "
sidebar wrote on Jan 15, 2009 9:18 AM:
The comment was nothing more than a jestfull inquiry into your pessimistic view of the towns in your part of the state. Grinning and bearing it with Joe is a tough option when he consistently puts the city in legal jeopardy. While the mindless comment may spur some hard feelings, it has been made upon my personal observations of the man and his ability to function as not only a mayor, but also as an individual. "
tontitown citizen wrote on Jan 15, 2009 9:33 AM:
sidebar wrote on Jan 15, 2009 9:43 AM:
Your intuition has falsely led you to believe I currently make $2 dollars a year. I am nothing more than a concerned and informed citizen that sees the proliferation of false information on these blogs as appalling. Ozarks and you call for an end to back biting with a woodshed solution instead of any constructive suggestion, perhaps there are latent issues with two of you and the problem solving woodshed. (correction for prior post= mafia) "
ardyman wrote on Jan 15, 2009 10:20 AM:
sidebar wrote on Jan 15, 2009 10:41 AM:
Your anger is misplaced, from what I have seen of Mr. Wagner he wouldn't waste his time arguing on a blog as you and I do. He seems to be more likely to confront people and voice concerns readily in public and with a factual basis for the vast majority of his concerns. Insofar as the mafia comments it was in jest and response to your post calling TT "a corrupt city for a long time". All I asked was for a couple of factual examples for the basis of your comment. For future reference don't refer to me as Mr. Wagner, I have a much more trim waistline and a full head of hair. "
ardyman wrote on Jan 15, 2009 10:53 AM:
talking cat wrote on Jan 16, 2009 2:25 AM:
i did, he does, of course the first to benefit are the hwy 412 corridor businesses.
Then what? The sewer budget will be directed where?
It is not the personal information which of issue, its the business interests intertwined with public funds. "
not surprised wrote on Jan 16, 2009 7:17 AM:
ozarks wrote on Jan 16, 2009 7:52 AM:
not surprised wrote on Jan 16, 2009 8:44 AM:
sidebar wrote on Jan 17, 2009 8:04 AM:
You should FOI a copy of the letter sent to the mayor of TT by the Washington Co. prosecutor. "
sidebar wrote on Jan 18, 2009 5:52 AM:
Prosecutor Finds No Violations In Tontitown
Mayor Vows To Continue Pursuing Issues
Last updated Friday, January 16, 2009 6:59 PM CST in News
By Bob Caudle
THE MORNING NEWS "
sidebar wrote on Jan 20, 2009 10:08 AM:
Not already registered?
cityrep wrote on Jan 13, 2009 8:13 PM: