Monroe independent Mayor Friday Ellis showed the Democrat majority on the City Council there was more than one way to skin a cat, and its members are not amused to the point they’ll waste taxpayer dollars to vent their frustration.
For months the two majoritarian branches of city government have been locked in a stalemate over appointment of a fire chief. Ellis has sent up one in-house nominee popular with the rank-and-file, only to have the Democrats reject him as nit scoring highly enough on the civil service exam. Then Ellis forwarded the highest scorer, who the Democrats then rejected as only having been a chief in a smaller department.
So, Republican state Sen. Stewart Cathey stepped into the frame, with Ellis’ blessing. He sponsored SB 220, now Act 452, this past legislative session that adjusted local government powers relative to operating their business enterprises. At the session neared it end, having sailed to passage with only one vote against (oddly, the House speaker’s on initial passage), he signaled rejection of the slightly-altered Senate version and the bill went to conference.
