Meeting heaped insults on former D.A., police, a motorcycle club, even the Council president
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Say what you will about Joseph W. Carroll – and plenty of folks did at last night’s embarrassing City Council meeting – the former District Attorney has never wavered in his commitment to Coatesville.
He appeared at the meeting because he had offered his services at a bargain rate to the city as either interim manager, public-safety chief, or both, and he was listed on the agenda for a vote on the public-safety role.
Last week, Council members interviewed four candidates for what they had decided would be a temporary police leadership position to avoid rushing a decision. Only one – former Police Chief Dominick P. Bellizzie – brought the credentials and regional respect needed for a permanent chief, and he was understandably not interested in being a fill-in. That should have made the stopgap selection of Carroll – the only one with no long-term ambitions – a no-brainer.
But instead of sending a supportive message to the beleaguered, understaffed Police Department that public safety is a priority, the Council punted, voting to remove the item from the agenda. The stated reason: Carroll, the former highest-ranking, law-enforcement official in the county, lacked the proper qualifications.
The vote added insult to the hard-working officers tired of being stretched thin and weary of the unresolved sex scandals hanging over the force. But dedicated police officers were not the only ones abused. A posse of citizens showcased their ignorance of the law by presenting a litany of complaints against Carroll, blaming him for everything from the high rate of incarcerated blacks to the light sentence one of the city’s infamous arsonists received.
At the very least, Council owes Carroll — and the police officers who haven’t had inappropriate sex with anyone and continue to do their jobs under adverse circumstance – profuse apologies. But they are not alone.
The Elite Motorcycle Club should get a mea culpa, too. They appeared more than a month ago before Council and received a standing ovation for raising $1,055 to help residents displaced by a June 6 rowhouse fire. Former Councilwoman Patsy Ray told Council last night that the victims never got a dime. Kirby Hudson, the city’s acting city manager, offered an explanation. (Later in the meeting, he was promoted to the permanent position — after Council voted to remove the residency requirement since he lives in Delaware.)
Hudson described a bizarre “hot-potato” exercise in which he tried and failed to get other entities, including the county, to disperse the money. When that failed, he said he put the check in the safe and forgot about it. His remedy: Return the check to the club and let them deal with it, begging questions about why it was ever accepted, especially with such fanfare.
One of the night’s culminating indignities targeted Council President Ed Simpson, who asked whether anyone had other business and was blindsided by Councilman David C. Collins, who introduced an 11th-hour motion to remove Simpson as president, citing his lack of leadership. The coup attempt by Collins, Councilwoman C. Arvilla Hunt and Councilman Jarrell Brazzle failed, but all three issued closing statements that can be charitably described as misguided.
Brazzle delivered a self-serving rant on the difficulties of being on Council. The position not only gives him headaches at meetings and sleepless nights, but it even cost him a girlfriend. Perhaps he should put himself – and the city – out of his misery.
Hunt was the only one to acknowledge that Carroll, who sat quietly during the diatribes, had not exactly been rewarded for his generosity. She said she thought he could play a role in the city. “I just didn’t think it was in that position,” she said. She echoed Brazzle’s comments on the angst of public service, adding: “We can disagree, but we don’t have to be disagreeable.” How would she characterize the Simpson ambush?
Collins continued the theme, insisting that he “will not compromise” his Christian values, words that rang a bit hollow after actions that came across as unflatteringly un-Christian. If, as he stated, Collins had concerns about Simpson’s leadership, he had an opportunity to share them at the group’s executive session. He also had the authority to request that the issue be placed on the agenda in advance, thus giving Simpson some warning.
To be fair, this group has shown substantially more promise than some previous ones. Of course, the bar is rather low when one group had heated arguments about prayer, and one former Councilman preached eloquently on harmony and kept a loaded gun on his refrigerator.
But it’s not too late to make amends. Here’s hoping the apologies begin quickly.
@Noticer. I agree! Hudson is not qualified!
I’m sad, but not surprised.
Joe Carroll who worked tirelessly in the city in every avenue from drugs to arson to murder. Joe Carroll who, while in office as District Attorney, always found discretionary funds for the city to help fund projects for youth and community clean-up. Joe Carroll who has volunteered more time at more events in the city than any person who currently sits at that council table …yes, Joe Carroll gets his hat handed to him and an embarrassing public dressing-down from a bunch of un-educated lemmings. Of course they didn’t want someone with a clean image and strong moral compass in a position of power in the city – too many things would no longer be able to be swept under the rug I’m sure; and I’m not just talking about any alleged issues in the police department. Although to be fair, Council made the right decision – after all, no man with a moral compass is qualified to hold a position at City Hall. Heck, he actually owns a property in Coatesville which is more than ANY OTHER PERSON EMPLOYED BY THE CITY can say.
As for Hudson as City Manager – in the grand scheme of things – who cares if he isn’t a resident. Rawlings came to town and although there was that big dust-up over him renting a house outside of the city limits – ultimately council did nothing about it. The bigger issue is Hudson’s lack of prior experience – filling in for a couple of months here and there between regimes hardly equates to proven time as a leader. So the budget is now going to be put in the hands of man who took money for what was it – fourteen people who lost everything they had in a fire? –put it in the safe and forgot about it!? Wow. This is who the city needs looking out for them. What about the screening process every other past city manager has had to go through (allegedly)? Where’s Hudson’s background check? What about his psych review? Suddenly there are special rules for this recruiting cycle? Votes of no confidence from how many prior councils (as evidenced by his lack of promotion into this role in prior years)? A vote of no confidence from the redevelopment authority when they “downsized” him a couple of years back – – and now suddenly he’s the guy everyone wants? Perhaps they didn’t’ do the same process they did just last year when looking to replace Reed because no one wanted to rehash the fact that the man got a DUI. Yup, another fine move . . . to continue to keep the city down and grease the wheels of corruption at City Hall. Three words people. D. U. I.
On a separate note, anyone check to see if Simpson’s wife remembered to pay their solid waste fee this year? I mean, she was out of practice per Simpson who defended his failure to pay his solid waste fee for 8 years, beginning with his first year on council, by blaming it on his wife. What a leader.
This is a thought-provoking article in that you discuss policy and perception. Truly, from what I read in this article, I was floored by the indifferent, unapologetic, and lack-of-accountability rationale of Mr. Hudson with discussing the mishandling of the donation…seriously the “check-is-in-the-safe” flippant remark? As a city, we need economic viability! Next, you were spot on in your analysis that one DA is not responsible for the prison-industrial complex (PIC). And, why racialize you argument where blacks are once again hapless victims of a grand conspiracy? Sure, race matters, racism exists, and racialism is real. So, don’t deduce or pander the realness of race to discredit a local politician. Sad! Lastly, from what I know about the city and what I glean from this article, we should avoid handling economic issues with reckless emotions, social commentary, and pitiful attempts at political coups. Like you, I still believe that this council has potential. Yet, to date, it has yet address the financial crisis of the city. In fact, Coatesville City Council governs through, like playground drama, personality politics. Of course, the rationale will be, we must get rid of folks before we can get to business. Yeah…right!
Thanks for the feedback – and for reading the Coatesville Times. I would be surprised if other reporters didn’t feel the same way; however, opinions are off-limits in a news story. I opted to write a column on this issue so that I would not have those restrictions.
This is the first time that I have seen ANY reporter mention the hard working officers, those not involved in any scandal or lawsuit. I completely agree with this reporter and believe that city council are not the only ones that need to apologize. People seem to forget that there are still those dedicated officers around keeping them safe. I truly hope things get better for them so that everyone can move on with their lives.