Your Turn By: Ben McCoy, petition co-organizer
WECT General Manager Gary McNair claims that we weren't ready
for prime time, haven't played by the rules, and even calls into question our
leadership and credibility. The city charter, which McNair hadn't read, calls
for AN affidavit, meaning one - not hundreds, as the city
claims, by each and every person that collected signatures.
The charter is open to interpretation. In our minds, the
best affidavit we could hope for is the certification of the Board of
Elections, which we obtained. However, city council members are determined
to ignore the will of those they are sworn to serve, and pursue their own
agenda, claiming our petition is invalid based on their own creative
interpretation.
Now, the City Clerk claims that if only we had reached out to
her, she would have helped. This is patently false. She was one of the
first people we contacted for help, and we were told to talk to the City
Attorney, who replied that he works for Council - not us.
The thousands of people who signed our petition will not be
ignored. When we see how the city council has obstinately ignored the
will of the people and reinterpreted the law to suit their own ends, it is
clear whose leadership should really be questioned.
