At the end of her last meeting as a member of Martinsville City Council Tammy Pearson offered further insight into her decision not to seek reelection, and offered an impassioned plea to other council members.
“I thought a lot about what I should say. Should I go out blazing, right all the wrongs and spill the beans and all that kind of stuff,” she said, adding that she decided “that’s probably not quite the right thing.”
Rather, “I thought I should kind of rise above that and maintain a certain level of decorum and decency and I think I’ve tried to go with that my whole time on council. I first want to share my thanks. I know a lot of people do this but first of all, I’m really bad at saying ‘thank you.’ It’s not something that comes easy to me … I apologize that I haven’t done it more in my four years.”
Pearson also thanked God, her husband, Will Pearson, her children, and others. She said her husband has “stood by me no matter what,” even “when I came home screaming and crying and throwing things and all that.” She added that “he was unnecessarily dragged into” certain issues, and “risked his businesses when I had to take a stand. He took great care of not only me, but also our children. I also want to thank my children.
“Before I ran for office, Will and I sat down with the kids to make sure they were okay with it. They gave me love and encouragement and support I can’t repay. We definitely lost some time together, but we knew that would happen, and they gave that to me so I could focus on the city.”
Pearson said her children have given her “the most high fives” and “shown maturity beyond their years.”
She also thanked her parents and in-laws, “close family members and friends. You know who you are. You’ve seen every facet of this council, from the highest to the lowest, and you always listen. You offered advice and good wine. I also want to thank the city employees, and that is something I definitely did not do enough, and I wish I had, because you’re the ones who took a lot of our ideas and you’re the ones who put them into action and you’re the ones out there day in and day out working for our city.”
Pearson also thanked former mayor and council member Danny Turner, who was “the first to approach me about running” for office. She said Turner “gave me the confidence I needed to give it a try. We respectfully disagreed on some things when I was on council, but I always knew I could go to him for advice and he would give it willingly and truthfully.
“Last but not least, I do want to thank the citizens of Martinsville. I am so humbled you gave me the honor and privilege of serving as your City Council member. I can assure you I did not take this responsibility lightly sorry and I always tried my best though I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I did enough,” Pearson said. “Did I make mistakes? Sure, who doesn’t? But did I learn from them? You absolutely know I did, and I took action. You trusted me to be your voice. That’s why you always hear I’m a research nerd because it’s on my shoulders to make sure that I understood what was going on. I did research locally, statewide, and nationally” as well as talk to subject matter experts and city residents.
My goal was to always put your needs and interests first and ensure a city would thrive and prosper. I’ve reflected quite a bit upon the last four years. I’ve thought of the accomplishments and the ups and downs. After Danny and Will talked with me about running, I researched and talked with others, and I knew I wanted to be part of that change along with many of you. I felt like there was a lack of transparency and deals being made behind closed doors.
“I was very concerned about reversion, but I didn’t know a lot about it to be honest, until I got on council. I didn’t feel like we were getting all the facts and a clear financial status, and I did feel like fundamental services and some of our economic development was being ignored because of the focus to revert to our town,” she said, adding that once the reversion effort ended, “we started focusing on infrastructure improvements, housing, economic vitality. We had actually started to revitalize our relationships in Richmond and other local support resources, and I really felt like” the council was getting a lot done, Pearson said, adding that while she wanted to continue, “on what I thought was a positive trajectory …, I thought it was more important to spend additional time with my family” and opted not to seek reelection.
“…Honestly, there were two other reasons. The first one has to do with what Will tells me a lot. I’m too naive and I’m too trusting. He’s right because I always want to see the good in people. What I’ve seen over and over in office is when you are doing what people want, they are your friend. The minute it’s done, and they maybe don’t agree with you on the next thing …, then they’re not your friend any longer.
“Secondly I want to get away from all the drama that’s so draining,” Pearson said. “What worries me the most is that overshadows and sabotages the good work that the few are doing and that you our citizens want to be done. Unfortunately, my feelings on the state of our city have changed since the last several months. I feel like we’ve stepped back in time.”
Noting there is “lots of drama, there’s divisiveness, there is lack of transparency, which scares me to death, and a shortage of accountability — which I’m so scared has derailed such hard work, not only by our employees but by some council members” as well, Pearson said.
“To my fellow City Council members, I want us to stop focusing on personal gains and remember you took an oath to do what is best and what is right for our city,” Pearson said. “It’s up to all of us to hold each and every one of the people on this council accountable with what they do with their words and actions.”
She ended simply, with “I love all of you and I just want to thank you.”
