Many residents of Signal Mountain have been embarrassed in recent years by negative news coverage of our town government. There have been hair brained schemes that led to resident unrest, and there has been obstruction and infighting among council members, led by Mayor Chris Howley. This disarray has led to an erosion of trust that citizens had in many members of our Town Council. On Nov. 6, we get to elect three council members from a field of seven candidates.
At a recent forum on civil discourse hosted by St Timothy’s Episcopal Church, all candidates but one committed to run town meetings by Robert’s Rules of Order, if elected. Robert's Rules of Order is the most widely used method of governing meetings of all kinds, from church meetings and school boards, to government meetings at all levels in the United States. Signal Mountain Municipal Code currently requires this, but Councilperson Dan Landrum’s pleas to follow these rules have been ignored by the Council for the last two years.
Rob Hensley is the one candidate who would not commit to following Robert’s Rules of Order. He said he cannot commit to following rules he is not familiar with. Those rules are part of the Town Code, as was made clear by the questioner at the forum. If Mr. Hensley won’t commit to following what is already established in Town Code, what other rules will he not follow?
Mr. Hensley has already demonstrated a lack of interest for citizen engagement when he refused to answer a questionnaire created by citizen groups that covered a wide range of issues that have been major concerns for the town of Signal Mountain. All of the other candidates completed the questionnaire and proved themselves to be responsive to the people they hope to serve on the council. We need council members who are respectful and responsible to the citizens and who will restore order to our Town Council meetings.
Signal Mountain, do we want Rob Hensley to step in to continue where Chris Howley left off? I, for one, am hoping that some order and peace will return to our town and our Town Council. Let’s move in the right direction by choosing three council members who plan to follow our town bylaws, including running meetings the right way, with civility and order.
Jackie Benkert