Tag: removal for cause

Committee report on traffic commissioner’s removal to be put in front of Bloomington city council

Referral and Deliberations On February 1, 2023, a motion to remove Greg Alexander from the Traffic Commission was made and seconded. The Council referred the matter to a Special Committee on Council Processes for consideration. The Committee met on February 8, February 20, and February 23. On February 23, the Committee agreed upon the recommendation described below. Recommendation The committee recommended to the Council that the motion for removal on the table be withdrawn and that a modified motion on removal, if desired, be made according to the following guidelines: 1. That substantive due process considerations advise that a motion for removal of an appointed board or commission member for cause should be narrow, specific, and sufficiently clear that city council members, members of the public, and the appointee in question fully understand the specific conduct, statements, or omissions that have led to the proposed removal; 2. That procedural due process considerations advise that the commission appointee in question be given at least five (5) business days to respond in writing to the specific allegations and proposed basis for their removal; 3. Legal precedent with respect to cause for removal advises that a council member making a motion for removal should clarify the relevance of and logical connection between the named conduct and how, specifically, those acts or omissions have diminished the appointee's ability or fitness to perform the duties of the appointment as defined by Bloomington Municipal Code or statute, including any evidence demonstrating this diminished ability or fitness to perform the specific duties.

Four weeks ago, Bloomington’s city council delayed a vote on the question of removing Greg Alexander from the traffic commission—by referring the matter to an already established committee on council processes.

In the meantime, that committee has met three times.

This Wednesday, the question of Alexander’s removal from the traffic commission will again be put in front of the council, but this time with a recommendation from the committee.

The original motion, made by Dave Rollo at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting, described the cause for removal as “…posting obscene and inappropriate statements…” on social media.

The committee’s recommendation is neither in favor or against Alexander’s removal.

If the full council follows the committee’s recommendation, it seems unlikely the question will get decided this Wednesday.

After weighing a recent court case, and considerations of what can count as a cause for removal, due process, and First Amendment questions, the committee’s recommendation is for the motion to be withdrawn.

But the committee’s general recommendation has left the door open for a modified motion on Alexander’s removal. The committee has made three suggestions about a new motion, if some councilmember wants to put one forward. Continue reading “Committee report on traffic commissioner’s removal to be put in front of Bloomington city council” →

Column | On Bloomington city council appointments to boards: Stop, in the name of gov…think it over

A special committee on city council processes is set to meet at 3 p.m. on Monday in  the McCloskey Room of Bloomington’s city hall.

traffic sign consists of a standard stop sign with a yellow sign bolten under it, which would normally read: Traffic from left does not stop. But the text on the yellow part of the sign reads: Do you redongize the names on the list of these appointees?The committee will be continuing its deliberations on a recommendation to the full council about how to proceed with councilmember Dave Rollo’s motion, made at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting, to remove Greg Alexander from the city’s traffic commission.

Rollo wants to remove Alexander for the cause of “posting obscene and inappropriate statements” on Twitter.

Positions on the traffic commission are unpaid. The city’s traffic commission is an advisory board that, among other things, recommends to the city council and other city officials ways to improve traffic conditions and the enforcement of traffic regulations.

It might seem like a subtle point, but the question of Alexander’s removal is actually extra work the council has created for itself. Continue reading “Column | On Bloomington city council appointments to boards: Stop, in the name of gov…think it over” →

2 more meetings on removal of traffic commissioner set by special Bloomington city council committee

From left: city clerk Nicole Bolden, city councilmember Sue Sgambelluri (Feb. 8, 2023).
Bloomington city councilmember Isabel Piedmont-Smith (Feb. 8, 2023)
Bloomington city councilmember Matt Flaherty (Feb. 8, 2023).
Feb. 8, 2023 meeting of the Bloomington city council committee on council processes.

On Wednesday night, a four-member special committee of the Bloomington city council met to consider the possible removal of Greg Alexander from the city’s traffic commission.

The outcome of the committee’s deliberations included scheduling two more meetings, both of them before a deadline of March 1. The full council set the deadline when it referred to the committee a motion for Alexander’s removal, which was made at the council’s Feb. 1 meeting.

The next committee meetings are scheduled for Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 23 at 8 a.m.

The motion for removal was made by Dave Rollo—that Alexander be removed from the city’s traffic commission, for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…that are unbecoming of an appointed member of a public body…” Continue reading “2 more meetings on removal of traffic commissioner set by special Bloomington city council committee” →

Referred to committee: Should city council remove member of Bloomington’s traffic commission for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…”?

Bloomington councilmember Susan Sandberg (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Sue Sgambelluri, and Dave Rollo (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Dave Rollo, Jim SIms and Ron Smith (Feb. 1, 2023).
Greg Alexander addresses the Bloomington city council (Feb. 1, 2023).
Bloomington city councilmember Steve Volan (Feb. 1, 2023).
From left: Kate Rosenbarger and Susan Sandberg (Feb. 1, 2023).
Bloomington councilmember Dave Rollo (Feb. 1, 2023).
Greg Alexander (Feb. 1, 2023).
Eric Ost (Feb. 1, 2023).
Stephanie Hatton (Feb. 1, 2023).

The question of removing Greg Alexander from Bloomington’s traffic commission won’t get a vote by the city council until March 1 at the earliest.

At this past Wednesday’s city council meeting, the matter was referred to a special committee that already existed, after it was appointed by council president Sue Sgambelluri at the first meeting of the year.

By March 1, the four-member special committee on the council’s legislative processes is supposed to deliver to the full council some kind of recommendation on the question of Alexander’s removal.

The committee’s first meeting is set for next Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

At this past Wednesday’s meeting, the motion to remove Alexander was made by Dave Rollo, for a cause that included “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…that are unbecoming of an appointed member of a public body…” Continue reading “Referred to committee: Should city council remove member of Bloomington’s traffic commission for “posting obscene and inappropriate statements…”?” →