Belle Town Council Meeting

I attended the Belle Town Council meeting this evening, where they discussed the issue of a new mayor. Larry Conley was the town's mayor, but he died in February, leaving more than three years left in his term. Last week, the council voted to appoint Kim Holmes, the town's recorder, as mayor for the remainder of the term. Holmes is serving as interim mayor, as in Belle, the recorder serves as lieutenant mayor.

However, the council voted in a closed meeting, and the agenda of the meeting was not posted. This angered many residents, and it was also a violation of West Virginia State Code.

So, tonight's open meeting was a "do-over," the town's attorney said. He guided the meeting and explained to the residents in attendance. The council heard comments from multiple residents who wanted an election for mayor to be held as soon as possible. Kim Holmes said that she no longer wanted the appointment of mayor because of the stress of trying to act as mayor for the next three years while also working full-time.

The council originally voted to appoint another councilperson as mayor, which angered many of the residents at the meeting. Then, one of the councilmen withdrew his vote and said he thought an election would be best. The councilman who made the motion for an appointment withdrew his motion, and a councilwoman motioned for an election. The council then voted for an election. The meeting was adjourned after the attorney explained that election dates and other matters would be settled at the next town council meeting in three weeks.

It was an interesting and emotional meeting (the councilman who withdrew his vote started crying as he talked about wanting to do what was best for his town), and it also tied into conversations we've had in class about the necessity for open meetings. About 40 of Belle's 1,100 residents showed up to the meeting, and nearly every one of them said they had signed a petition for an election because it was the democratic approach. It was great to see a small town care so much about its government.