RACINE — Attendees saw a noticeable absence at Tuesday’s Racine Common Council meeting.
Six alders are boycotting council meetings until their demands are met.
The alders boycotting are accusing Mayor Cory Mason of overstepping his authority when it comes to what goes on meeting agendas.
Melissa Kaprelian is one of the alders involved in the boycott.
“Right now, we're not doing the work of government,” said Kaprelian. “We're doing the work of the mayor.”
Dozens of people were in attendance. Some were planning to speak during public comment. That did not happen along with any agenda items due to the boycott.
Watch: Why several Racine Common Council members are boycotting meetings:
Mayor Cory Mason did not take questions on Tuesday. However, he provided this statement to TMJ4 regarding the boycott.
“Instead of trying to find solutions, several members of the Common Council have decided they won’t show up and do their jobs, even if it puts the city at risk. That’s disrespectful to our community and also to their colleagues who are prepared to do the jobs they were elected to do,” read the statement by Mayor Mason.
At issue, an ordinance passed back in 2019 that shifted council communications and agenda setting from the council to the mayor's and clerk’s offices.
“I came back on the council in 2021, and I recognized right away that there was a change in transparency—that we have lost transparency in our city government,” said Kaprelian. “We no longer were seeing communications that came through. We no longer were seeing our items that would be going before the standing committees. That all ceased.”
She told TMJ4 she felt a little victory back in August when an ordinance that would require the mayor to present all communication to the council for referral passed out of the committee of the whole. However, it never made it onto the council agenda.
When that ordinance didn’t make it onto the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, that solidified her reason to boycott.
“I want the public to know that we have no other options. We tried every avenue; we tried to go through the proper channels, and they didn't work, so what else do we have left to do?” Questioned Kaprelian.
Kaprelian and the five other alders have listed their immediate demands.
1. A thorough review and revision of recent ordinance changes that have altered the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of city government.
2. Reinstatement of the Council's rightful authority to set its own agenda and bring matters of public concern before the body for discussion and vote.
Alder Cory Sebastian told TMJ4 she was blindsided by the boycott. She found out Saturday morning.
“I, as well as others, did not know that this was happening,” said Sebastian.
She now wants the council to come together to find an agreement.
"There are so many routes that we can go other than a boycott,” said Sebastian. “There are so many other routes, and I just want to make sure that government can still keep moving and our constituents are represented.”
Racine’s Finance Director, Kathleen Fischer, outlined the consequences of not acting on two agenda items on Tuesday night, stating they could have long-term consequences for the city.
Item #0814-24 involves the issuance and sale of $16,525,000 of bonds for 2024 capital projects. She said the bond rating agency, bond counsel, and bond consultants intended to market the bonds as early as Wednesday. She said that bond consultants have expressed their concerns over the delay in approvals. Failure to act could negatively impact interest rates, public interest in the bonds, and affect the city’s bond rating long-term.
Item #0685-24 involves the issuance of $959,615 of taxable waterworks revenue bonds. Fischer said this would affect the water utility and potentially their relationship with the Safe Drinking Water program.
“The City and Utility have been “fronting” the money for all capital projects in anticipation of the issuance of these bonds. Delays in the issuance of these bonds could affect cash flow for operations into the fall,” stated the email sent out by Fischer.
When asked how long the alders plan to boycott, Kaprelian said, “We are going until we have back our control over the council agenda.”
READ MAYOR CORY MASON FULL STATEMENT:
“Getting things done for the people of Racine is my top priority. I welcome partnership and collaboration from my fellow elected leaders, but I also know there will be times when people who all care about our community might disagree. The way we resolve these differences matters. Instead of trying to find solutions, several members of the Common Council have decided they won’t show up and do their jobs, even if it puts the city at risk. That’s disrespectful to our community and also to their colleagues who are prepared to do the jobs they were elected to do. I hope these Council members will set aside the political stunts and join the rest of us in conducting the people’s business.”
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