INGLEWOOD, Calif. (2UG) – One by one Inglewood residents spoke on behalf of Councilwoman Gloria Gray during the regular city council meeting held Aug. 8.
During the Aug. 1 city council meeting, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. stopped Gray from asking questions about a $50,000 invoice submitted to the City by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation over benches installed at Dodger Dreamfields at Edward Vincent Jr. (Centinela) Park.
The Dodgers took all the credit for the baseball field renovations despite Inglewood taxpayers contributing nearly 50% of the costs. Apparently after nearly $1 million was spent on refurbishments, the Dodgers Foundation wanted an additional $50,000 for benches for the bleachers.
Be careful walking through here though…it’s gopher holes EVERYWHERE! https://t.co/moDfwiRFLM pic.twitter.com/b41KzyfBmn
— 2UrbanGirls (@2UrbanGirls) February 11, 2023
Inglewood Councilman Eloy Morales went in “left field” to discuss gopher holes and how the Dodgers installed wire mesh surrounding the field as if to imply that’s where the $50,000 invoice came from.
“Ever since I was a kid there have been gopher holes in the park and on the field,” said Morales, which the City has failed to fix.
As Councilwoman Gray was asking questions directed at Parks & Recreation Director Sabrina Barnes, the mayor interrupted and started answering the questions himself instead of calling up Barnes to explain her department’s staff report. Gray also asked if any future work would be done at the park and the mayor responded “NO!”
At the close of the Aug. 1 meeting, during council comments, the mayor and Gray had words as she wanted additional time to speak which the mayor refused. He typically allows other members of the council, who don’t question any of the agenda items, as much time as they want to speak.
During today’s meeting, residents came up to the podium to speak during the end of the meeting asking the mayor to adhere to the same rules of decorum he demands of the public.
He didn’t like it.
He responded to them by giving the excuse that “he didn’t want to violate the law and/or the Brown Act” by speaking on matters not on the agenda which is why he cut the councilwoman off but that wasn’t the case. She was asking about matters that were on the Aug. 1 agenda related to the Dodgers Foundation request for an additional $50,000 for work on the baseball field.
In other words, he was conflating the two issues.
One resident spoke on the mayor’s pattern to berate and intimidate women in the public space to which he responded “there’s always room to do better”.
Another resident came to Gray’s defense saying regardless of the situation, the mayor’s delivery was tense.
“You came off like you were mad at her,” said the resident.
He is mad that there is a member of the city council questioning agenda items which he hasn’t had to deal with since the departure of former council members Judy Dunlap and the late Mike Stevens.
1 Comment
CITY ZCOUNCIL meetings are indeed bussiness meetings for conducting the people’s business not a private one man owned operation but rather the entire communities business with 5 equal members. The Mayor has one vote -that he purchased the seats through campaign loans for the others may ensure they vote as he desires but each of the council members likewise has one vote.
Each councilmember was elected to cast their vote independently on behalf of the residents they swore to serve .
No councilmember should be expected to vote for any item if they have questions about that item until those questions have been answered.
James Butts greatest concern seems to be getting his employed by another agency councilmember back to work as if the city’s business is a one day a week lunch break adventure.
It should not be considered unreasonable to allow Any even a female councilmember the opportunity to ask staff questions after all Butts is being paid with benefits 140,000 per year for what amounts to a one hour a week job… yes we pay even more staff than before council began collecting fulltime job pay. If they hired competent people there is no reason for the Mayor to whine over a 2 hour meeting.
Wasn’t so staff would not have stay past five to answer questions among the excuses used to change meeting times to days rather than nights?
Rude is rude there is no excuse for rude! And No Mayor the Apology is not sufficient!.
Only a behavior change in the Mayor attitude is sufficient. Sadly this jerk lacks character qualities worthy of even the tiniest amount of respect.
Residents have grown tired of James Butts’ Bully Tactics
As for the gopher holes -Eloy Morales has collected fulltime city councilmember pay since 2003 and has told us he had known about the safety issue at Centinela Park for those 20 years. Is there anyone who thinks he has served the young people who use the park well if he has not addressed this and come up with a solution?
Yep those two chairs need to be occupied by gracious and functional people.