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Content from our friends over at Best Southwest Citizen

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Duncanville City Councilman Paul Ford hospitalized during council meeting

by Brian Allen of of Best Southwest Citizen

Paul Ford

Even those who have followed Duncanville City Council proceedings for decades cannot remember a scene quite like the one that unfolded Tuesday night. District 3 Councilman Paul Ford continued his unique brand of protest and this time, Ford left City Hall on a stretcher.

As one might imagine, an unbelievable set of circumstances took place before this. After approving the consent agenda, the council began to discuss a single item previously pulled from the consent agenda. It seemed like a relatively controversy-free item, terminating a crack sealing services contract to trim $59,000 from the city budget.

Ford and Mayor David Green picked up basically where they left off at the meeting a month ago, with Ford saying he needed to be heard and Green telling him he was out of order. Ford said Green informed him before the meeting that if were to speak out of order again, Green would have him removed from council chambers.

Green wasn’t bluffing and called Police Chief Robert Brown to escort Ford from the building. There have been few contrasts in Duncanville council chambers quite as stark as the quiet, soft-spoken Brown attempting to persuade Ford to leave his seat.

“Chief Brown,” Ford said, “I will not leave voluntarily. However, if you believe that I am violating the law by discussing this agenda item, I will submit to arrest without resistance.”

As Brown and another officer came to escort Ford, he mentioned that he has had back surgery. Brown responded that he was simply asking Ford to walk. As they walked out of sight, Ford cried out in pain. Green apologized to those in attendance and read this statement.

“Beginning with tonight’s council meeting, I am enforcing our rules of procedure,” Green said. “I will recognize council members to speak. Council members will limit discussion to the question under consideration. If a council member is ruled out of order, that council member will cease discussion.

I will not tolerate the actions that have been demonstrated in the past meeting and will not recess a meeting in order to gain control. If such an outburst occurs again, I will instruct the city manager to remove the offender from city council chambers for the duration of the meeting for disruption of a public meeting.

As agenda items are presented, council members will be recognized in the order that they have cut their lights on to indicate their desire to speak. After everyone who wants to speak is finished, the chair will recognize in the same manner those wishing to speak in rebuttal. After one rebuttal, I will call the question. I remind the council, any council member can challenge to overturn the rule of the mayor with a simple majority vote of the council.”

Green then called for a 10-minute recess. During the recess, paramedics came and transported Ford to Charlton Methodist Hospital. We’ll update you on Ford’s condition as we learn more.

Pegasus News content partner - Best Southwest Citizen

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Anonymous

willied53, says:

An utter embarrassment.

Anonymous

8 months ago
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NTXBluebonnet, says:

The comment that you wrote about Mayor Green's new policy was not what he read in the briefing room prior to the meeting. It was on the agenda and discussed in the briefing room stating that there would be a "discussion of Rules of Procedure and Councilmember conduct at Council Meetings." When he read his statement it was directed to Paul Ford and Paul Ford only. It is shame that they do not video the briefing sessions. Ms. Jameson has been asking for a review of the Rules of Procedure many times and was ignored or voted down. Mayor Green has a hatred toward Paul because he is vocal. After Mayor directed his statement to Paul, Paul stood up in the briefing room telling Mayor Green that he will not go voluntarily. During the meetingPaul Ford was discussing the one item he asked to be pulled from the "Consent Items" for further discussion during the briefing session. Mayor Green asked him "why" and Paul stated that he thought it was not good to cancel the contract for crack sealing in the streets. Paul did go off course a little bit. A "point of order" should of been made by another councilmember but did not and again Mayor Green started screaming "you are out of order." He continually shuts him down even as much as turning his microphone off. It is evident that Mayor Green has a hatred for Paul.

Are you aware that the briefing session and the chambers were filled with ProDunc? This was definitely a well-staged setup. Glenn Repp also came armed with a camera and took three pictures.

Also, I heard that Scott Cannon, Mayor Green and Grady Smithey were seen together at Applebees in Duncanville after the fiasco. Does this constitute an open meeting?

Thank you.

Nancy Bell

Anonymous

7 months, 4 weeks ago
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Catbird, says:

Why can't the guy just obey the rules like everyone else?

Life does not revolve around one person - not even in Duncanville.

Anonymous

7 months, 3 weeks ago
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Mari Vega, says:

Mayor Green sounded so exasperated as he spoke to me during the time while Mr. Ford was ostensibly being loaded onto a stretcher, and said that he has been 'so patient' with him. I let him know that his patience had to go deeper for the good of our city. That the way their votes are so consolidated, it would have anyone backed into a corner. I also went on record with Mayor Green to let him know that I think Mr. Ford is someone deserving of respect, much more than is openly accorded to him.

Take a look <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIjjCE6vUU">at this video,</a>filmed during the briefing (open to the public) that always precedes the Council Meeting, proper. Perhaps it's because I just started really tuning in to my city's governing, and that I 'don't know the back story,' etc, but I know what I see, and I am not impressed by the divisive goading of Mayor Green and Mr. Cagle, or the obvious pleasure that Ms. Burton takes in seeing Mr. Ford be reprimanded, the incomprehensible verbiage of Mr. Smithy, or the tacit collusion of Mr. Weaver and Mr. Cannon.

Their behavior might lead someone to see them as mean-spirited and under-handed. Their answers to questions that Mr. Ford has posed might also lead someone to believe that all is not right with these land deals--and it's not mere chump change, folks.

My husband was present at the School Board/City Council meeting that the Mayor abruptly ended. I was present at the meeting where the <a href="mms://morpheus.duncanville.com/090303council.wmv">consolidated councilmembers said that X is Y </a>[the debacle of what was recorded into the official minutes re: Mr. Ford's comments about safety studies of red light cameras].

Last note about this article, Brian, Mr. Green read a statement about rules that is not <a href="http://www.ci.duncanville.tx.us/city_charter.shtm"> in the Charter</a>, which is quite concise about the Mayor's duties and privileges. Can you dig out where these rules are sanctified?

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7 months, 3 weeks ago
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NTXBluebonnet, says:

Good Article, Mari. It is time to wake up the City of Champions about what goes on behind the scenes. The video was great and true. They cannot edit your video that is for sure.

I am convinced that a lot of "stuff" is agreed upon long before it gets to the meetings. The proof is watching that video and seeing that everyone remained quiet while Green was reading his mandate which by the way was illegal because it was not voted on by the council.

Paul remained extremely calm in his statement but when you watch the video, you see the disgust in Green, and Dorothy with her folded arms (stay out of my territory attitude) and Grady Smithey with his blatant comments. Again, Ms. Jameson tried to speak and again was being shut down. Did you notice that Scott Cannon and Ken Weaver did not say a thing. They knew what was happening in advance. Kent Cagle, he was right on top of it all. He has way too much control for a City Manager.

At the briefing session and at the general meeting you can see the control that ProDunc (PAC)has. The audience was full of ProDunkers. When they were attempting to arrest Paul, Pat Weaver, wife to Councilman Ken Weaver let out a yell of pleasure. I said to her in a loud voice because of the noise "Pat, that is not funny and not very becoming of the wife of a councilman. She hung her head and got very quiet. She has been extremely disturbing at many of the meetings making comments everytime Paul, Johnette or Deborah was talking, and it is time someone said something to her.

DUNCANVILLE WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES! Get rid of ProDunc and clean up the council.