Before I start responding to some of the accusations being made by members of the City Council, I want people to understand why I take what is happening at City Hall so seriously.

Start with this video.

CONTENT WARNING: This video contains strong language, threats and an uncensored racial slur. I am sharing it because the full context matters, but please use discretion when watching, particularly around children.

This footage is from before I became mayor.

In it, you will see the former mayor threaten me, and swing at me twice. You will see a former councilman threaten me. You will hear the former city clerk yell a racial slur at me as I leave. You will see members of her family and others gathered outside City Hall after they rushed toward me when I stopped beside the FOX6 news vehicle to speak with the news crew.

And you will see Councilman James Chapman there too, cursing at me.

Fast forward to this past week.

Now we have another video involving Councilwoman Bell, Councilman Chapman and the former mayor discussing and celebrating a deal they believe has been completed.

Listen carefully to what is actually said about putting the mayor in a bind and the potential legal consequences for the City.

That is important, because putting the mayor “in a bind” is not just about me. When decisions expose the City to litigation or financial liability, it is the taxpayers who ultimately carry that risk.

But there is another statement in this video that matters just as much.

Listen to the discussion about the deal. Listen to what is said about putting the mayor in a bind.

Then listen to the words:

“His a** is grass.”

Here is what I want taxpayers to understand now.

You cannot intentionally put the mayor into a financial or legal bind without potentially putting the City of Margaret into that bind too.

It isn’t my money.

It isn’t James Chapman’s money.

It isn’t Jonathan Ray’s money.

It belongs to the taxpayers.

That is why what has happened since I took office deserves scrutiny based on records, votes, communications and the actual law, not personalities.

I believe the public deserves to know what discussions occurred before major decisions were brought into the council chamber, who participated in those discussions and whether decisions involving city employees and taxpayer money were being coordinated before the public ever saw them.

Alabama’s Open Meetings Act exists because governmental deliberation is supposed to occur openly. Alabama law also addresses serial meetings used to circumvent open-meeting requirements.

Whether any particular conduct violated that law is ultimately a legal determination, not one I am going to make here.

But you can watch the video, review the records and draw your own conclusions about what was happening.

The same caution applies to conflicts of interest. Alabama’s Ethics Law prohibits a public official from using an official position to obtain personal gain for the official or certain family members.

Whether particular conduct crossed that legal line is a matter for the appropriate authorities to determine.

What I can do is show you the records.

That brings me to the former city clerk.

The council was warned that there were legal issues surrounding bringing her back into city employment. Those concerns were not theoretical. They involved an existing personnel dispute and potential financial exposure for the City.

Despite those warnings, the council intentionally attempted to move forward, but were not in order.

I will publish the relevant timeline, communications and council actions so residents can see exactly what happened and decide for themselves whether those decisions protected the taxpayers or exposed them to unnecessary risk.

That is what these fact checks are going to be about.

Receipts.
Dates.
Votes.
Emails.
Video.
The City’s own records.

When something is my opinion, I will tell you it is my opinion.

When something is an allegation under investigation, I will tell you that too.

I am not going to present an allegation as a conviction.

But I am also not going to hide documented conduct because discussing it makes somebody uncomfortable.

The reason this old video matters is that the behavior did not begin when I became mayor.

I ran for mayor after years of standing up to what I believed was a culture of intimidation at City Hall. I am still not willing to be bullied into silence, nor am I willing to watch employees or residents be intimidated now.

And I am certainly not willing to watch political disagreements create unnecessary financial or legal exposure for the people of Margaret.

We have provided every councilmember with a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order so everyone has access to the same parliamentary rules.

It is past time that we follow those rules and properly conduct our meetings.

I am going to do my job as presiding officer. I am not going to do the council’s parliamentary homework for them anymore.

Over the coming days, I will begin fact checking specific accusations that have been made about me and this administration.

I will provide the documentation with them.

You don’t have to take my word for any of it.

Watch the videos.
Read the records.
Look at the votes.
Look at the dates.

Then make up your own mind.

Hold me accountable.

Hold every councilmember accountable.

Because the most important lesson from that “a** is grass” video isn’t what somebody said about me.

It’s what happens when hurting a political opponent becomes more important than protecting the City.

Margaret cannot afford that kind of government.

And the taxpayers should never be expected to pay for it.