The following is a prepared statement written by Coffeyville City Commissioner Alec Hendryx. Hendryx read the statement at the Feb. 9, 2010, city commission meeting. After reading the statement, he offered to let other commissioners sign on before he submitted it to the Coffeyville Journal as a Letter to the Editor. All commissioners, including Taylor, signed the statement.
To the Editor and the People of Coffeyville,
Commissioner (Jim C.)Taylor, (Sr.) continues with his appalling behavior in and out of the city commission meetings. He makes claims that the rest of the commission is not being transparent, yet he continues to present you, the public, with false and misleading information with regards to the operation of the city in his letters and "ads?. Just because he writes the most letters, doesn't mean all he writes is to be believed. I/we think many people already knew or are learning about his inability to be a positive and effective commissioner.
In a recent letter, he was lamenting the fact that we had an executive session when he was not present at the last meeting. He was angry that we had one without him. Just recently, he voted to go into executive session when another commissioner was absent. Apparently, he is arrogant enough to think that he is the only commissioner that absolutely needs to be present for the commission to be able have an executive session. He asked what was discussed and our city manager explained it to him, as is customary for an absent commissioner. In retaliation, he then took that information and misrepresented it to the public in order to maliciously attack the other commissioners. Even in his most recent letter, he made false and misleading statements regarding a grant for infrastructure improvements in order to further his own agenda.
I/we believe he has betrayed the trust of the city and the commission by violating the spirit of the executive session. How can a city effectively conduct business regarding sensitive items that are required to be discussed in executive session when a commissioner either divulges or misrepresents that information to the public? He seems to decide on his own, regardless of legal counsel's advice, as to what should be kept in executive session. I believe he has the potential to be an enormous legal liability for the city.
Finally, I/we do not believe he is looking out for the best interests of the city. One cannot do that by being against every project of advancement. Theodore Roosevelt said, "The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.? It is painfully clear that Commissioner Taylor cannot and chooses not to get along with people. He has alienated himself to the point that the he is unable to work effectively with the rest of commission and city staff. Rest assured, the commission as a whole is continuing on with the business at hand to drive Coffeyville to a better future, with or without him.
If you want to hear the truth about city issues for yourself, please attend the city commission meetings. If you have questions regarding city issues, please feel free to contact any of the commissioners. Also, agenda packets, meeting minutes, and audio of the meetings are posted on the city's website, http://www.coffeyville.com/.
Sincerely,
Alec Hendryx ? Vice Mayor ? writer
Richard Gonzales ? Mayor
Commissioner Pam Jones
Commissioner RJ Warren
Commissioner Jim C. Taylor, Sr.