A candidate for Martinsville City Council resigned Thursday, days after an employee policy was scrutinized at an Oct. 25 council meeting.
In a social media post Thursday, LC Jones, a Martinsville police officer and candidate for city council, wrote, “This morning I submitted my resignation to the Martinsville Police department. It has been a pleasure to serve all Martinsville citizens as a Martinsville City police officer. Working with the staff and students at the Martinsville City schools has also been my greatest joy, honor, and privilege. I Love you all. I am committed to ensuring that reversion is stopped and that all Martinsville City Schools remain open for our city kids. I am also committed to restoring a respectable level of professionalism, integrity, transparency, and legitimacy back into our local government. Lastly, I am committed to ensuring that your voices are heard ….”
Jones said he made the decision after watching a recording of the council meeting on Wednesday morning.
“I really thought they would come up with a decision to grandfather me in” rather than “stringing it out,” which prompted concerns in the minds of some voters as to whether they could vote for him, Jones said.
Postponing the vote is “a stall tactic. Instead of just making a decision” that could be revisited later if needed, he said.
Meanwhile, he has received calls from several voters, asking “’Hey, can we still vote for you,’” Jones said, adding that the resignation is designed to remove doubts from voters’ minds and allow him to begin his tenure with a clean slate if he is elected.
The resignation “completely removes any conflict of interest,” Jones said, adding that he is working a two-week notice.
According to discussions Tuesday, Jones would be unable to operate as both a city employee and city council member if he wins the Nov. 8 election due to the employment policy.
“I really thought they would come up with a decision to grandfather me in” rather than “stringing it out,” which prompted concerns in the minds of some voters as to whether they could vote for him, Jones said.
Postponing the vote is “a stall tactic. Instead of just making a decision” that could be revisited later if needed, he said.
Meanwhile, he has received calls from several voters, asking “’Hey, can we still vote for you,’” Jones said, adding that the resignation is designed to remove doubts from voters’ minds and allow him to begin his tenure with a clean slate if he is elected.
The resignation “completely removes any conflict of interest,” Jones said, adding that he is working a two-week notice.
The move came about after a ‘midnight conversation between me and God,” Jones said he decided to resign. He has not discussed employment with any other law enforcement agency and at the moment, has not submitted any applications.
During the meeting Tuesday, Danny Turner, an incumbent who is seeking reelection, sought to exclude Jones from the “new” policy, citing bad timing and appearance.
“I want to make a motion to exclude LC Jones, candidate for city council of Martinsville and Martinsville City Police, from our new employment policy that won’t allow a city employee to run for city council,” Turner said. “I am one hundred percent in favor of the policy. I think we have an obligation to give elections the appearance of being fair, completely and totally, and I would like for him to be excluded and then let the voters decide if we think it’s a good policy by if they’re for or against him.”
Turner said the timing makes it seem as though the policy was changed to prevent Jones from running. Mayor Kathy Lawson seconded the motion for the sake of discussion.
Council member Chad Martin said he spoke with Jones and Martinsville Police Chief Eddie Cassady, who said Jones was informed of the policy on June 7, and did not turn in his packet to run for council until June 12.
“It’s kind of hard to say he was grandfathered in when they already had the policy before,” Martin said. “I am definitely in agreement with him running. It would potentially be a conflict of interest, and I think that’s what the big sticking point is.”
Martin suggested the council render a decision about the policy at its next meeting, which is after the election.
Lawson said she preferred referring the issue to the state Conflict of Interest Council for a state opinion.
Vice Mayor Jennifer Bowles agreed that the timing of the policy was “terrible … LC did state that he was going to run, regardless. He said he was going to run anyway, whether it was a policy or not.”
Bowles agreed with the idea of referring the issue to an outside entity with no interest or bias in Martinsville’s local government.
Council member Tammy Pearson said the timing of the policy “worries me greatly.” She said Jones was collecting signatures before the policy was put in place. She then discussed research she had done into the policy, and emails she had received from legal counsel.
Paraphrasing her findings, Pearson said, “The city manager and city attorney do not have the authority in the city charter or city code to make a policy on the forfeiture of employment for city employees, subsequently elected to council. The General Assembly has not authorized in the city charter a provision prohibiting city employees from serving on city council.”
She then discussed the city charter’s definition of conflict of interest and said the conflict of interest in the employment policy was not stated. “Relative to a city council member, a conflict of interest refers to interest in the profits of any contract or work,” she said.
She believes that there would need to be a city charter change to make this policy, but was open to discussion and correction on her interpretation.
She amended Turner’s motion to “remove the new employed policy adopted by the city manager, Section 7.8.1E effective immediately and defer this matter for further discussion and research by council and city manager and possibly by a non-biased organization.”
Turner accepted the amendment, but it died for lack of a second.
Bowles suggested the motion be tabled until the council receives an opinion from the state and other agencies.
“Let’s ask a state organization to give us their guidance so it doesn’t look like anybody’s showing favoritism, we’re not being transparent. What’s more transparent than asking the Conflict of Interest Act organization,” she said.
Lawson cited the city charter, “Neither the council nor any member thereof should have authority to give orders to any of the subordinates of the city manager, either publicly or privately.”
Lawson then asked who was in favor of Turner’s motion.
Turner voted yes; Lawson, Pearson, and Bowles voted against, and Martin abstained.
Pearson again made her motion, which again died for lack of a second.
“I would like to make a motion to direct the city administration to send correspondence to the Conflict of Interest Act Council and the state of Virginia and ask what is their perception on this policy and to get a reading from it. Also, to reach out to employment law and research that, and I’d like to have this information brought back to council,” Bowles said.
She said Jones serving on council would be a conflict of interest because he reports to the chief who then reports to the city manager. But council members oversee the city manager.
Bowles and Lawson questioned why the issue was raised now and not in June when the policy was put in place.
Martin seconded Bowles’ motion.
“For the public sake and for our sake, making sure that if LC wins and he doesn’t take office until January, there are not issues going towards him and we revisit this language … to make sure nothing happens where this can come back on LC to where he would lose his job,” Martin said.
“I agree totally that the policy is a good policy and needs to be there, I’m just saying that the perception that it was changed at the 11th hour to penalize him for running, an election has to have no appearance of wrong doing,” Turner said.
Bowles’ motion passed 4-1, with Pearson objecting.
In other matters, the council:
* Heard a presentation and report on a new drug treatment court being implemented in Henry County and Martinsville from Circuit Court Judge Carter Greer and Piedmont Community Services members Kelly Koebel and Quincy Gravely. The court serves as a treatment alternative to serving jail time for drug related crimes.
* Held a public hearing for the transfer of properties into the Martinsville Land Bank Authority.
* Recognized city employees for service year milestones.
* Approved the Oct. 11 minutes.
* Designated Nov. 1 as Extra Mile Day.
* Approved the consent agenda.
