Special Report: Assault at Cherokee Council Meeting Tonight

The March meeting of the Cherokee Town Council was held tonight at 6:00 p.m. Here is a link to the agenda:

March 1, 2011 Council Meeting Agenda

Item 10 looks particularly intriguing; however, tonight's meeting will undoubtedly be remembered for its mayhem rather than the theft of firearms. Here's our report from C.R.:

Meeting Abruptly Ends

The Cherokee City Council Meeting had twenty one agenda items and the meeting ended with item eleven. This agenda item called for all employees to make a daily activity report. Councilman Steve Glover made a motion to make all city employees except the city clerk, file a daily activity report. At this point, citizens started to state their frustration with the council. Betty McKinney, the left hand puppet of Mignon Willis, told one citizen, he was not on the agenda and Mayor Lansdell informed McKinney, she was not on the agenda either and to shut up. The council tied to quiet the crowd but could not. Councilman Glover made a motion to end the meeting.

After the meeting a women in her seventies approached Councilman Glover. The women, Helen Waldrep, told Councilman Glover cutting the benefits to the employees was wrong. Councilman Glover pushed this poor lady twice and grabbed his wife like a rag doll and left the meeting in a mad tirade. Miss Waldrep filed a police report with the Colbert County Sheriff’s Department. About thirty minutes after finding out the women filed a report; Glover called the Colbert County Sheriff’s Department and filed a report also.

Something is in The Water

While Councilman Glover was pushing down old ladies, Betty McKinney had her fill with a citizen and told him she should just slap his face. The gentleman filed a police report for Harassment against McKinney with the Cherokee Police Department.

Not to be out done, Mignon Willis had a flash back and thought she was still mayor. Mignon told the Cherokee Police Chief that he failed in his duties to keep order in the room. The Police Chief Frank Reagan listened to Mignon and then gave her a verbal tongue lashing. Nothing bad was said, the chief just let Willis know who the real police chief in town was. If Mignon was not wasting the chief’s time he could have stopped Glover from pushing the seventy year old lady.

The City is Broke?

In the last council meeting, the employee’s benefits were cut because of a lack of money in the cities accounts. Fuel was taken away from the rescue squad and fire department. During this meeting the council voted to award a construction bid just over eleven thousand dollars to Paul Harper to remodel the old senior citizens building. What was funny the council was not going to ask for a contract to be signed. The council never asked if Paul Harper was bonded and insured. The council never asked Paul Harper did he have a Cherokee, county or state business license. The council never asked any of these important questions. Why do research, it just takes too long.

The mayor had to point that out to them. The council then rescinded its vote and then voted to let the city attorney handle the contract and find out about Harper’s insurance and bond.

When did the council vote to take a construction bid? It was never voted on or posted anywhere.

Agenda Item 15

The council never reached a vote on this item but spoke about it in the work session. It appears that the Cherokee City Council is planning on laying off a Cherokee City Sewer/Street Worker. They do not have money to pay workers benefits and have to lay off a worker but they have the money to remodel a broken down building. The council also talked about making the police officers work for straight time. If one officer works for 64 hours one week he will get just straight time pay. So much for federal laws.

Well, there you have it. We're glad C. R. walked away unscathed. Stay tuned--there's sure to be more--a great deal more.

Shoalanda