SouthsideCentral was LIVE! at Danville City Council for Tuesday night’s Danville City Council meeting. This article is now complete, so enjoy the most detailed recap that you’ll find from any media source.
We’re underway with the Committee on Appointments. Gary Miller, Larry Campbell & Alonzo Jones are on this committee and their job is to recommend people for appointment to city boards & commissions. If you’d like to serve on a city board or commission, you can learn more about it and apply at this website.
Buddy Rawley is sitting in on tonight’s Appointment Committee meeting. He didn’t get any food. 🙁
Ten minutes before the meeting and the gallery is starting to fill up.
The Planning Commission is well represented tonight. Dolores Reynolds, Harold Garrison & Tommy Dodson, HELLO!
Full house! Oh, lovely. Maybe something about a flag? Oh well, let’s get started anyway. Larry Campbell leads the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Proclamation time!
Mildred Richardson picks up a proclamation for the upcoming College Bonanza. We’re going to have more on this event in the coming weeks. College representatives will be coming to Averett University, and prospective students will be able to talk with them. They can learn more about making their decision for their next educational step.
Part of the College Bonanza team talks to council about the upcoming event.
It’s now the time time we’ve all been waiting for! The public comment period.
Carolyn Laviscount makes her speech.
Unsurprisingly, Avon Keen remains opposed to the Confederate flag.
Carolyn Laviscount goes first. She’s still against the flag. She mentions Mitt Romney agrees that the flag shouldn’t be on government property. This is the first time she’s agreed with Mitt Romney, I’m sure. If the same speakers get up and say their same opinions again, I’m going to flip this table over. Avon Keen is next and he poisons the well immediately by asking if council wants to fly a flag of hatred. He semi-threatens a lawsuit again, and again that’s a hollow threat. If the flag eventually stays up, there’s no legal cause of action against the city for not taking the flag down. That would be different if the city had to take it down but failed to do so. Two repeat speakers, two repeat opinions. I sense a trend.
Although this is probably inadvertant, Lee Vogler does an amazing facepalm while listening to this woman.
We’ve got a new speaker. This could be promising. She’s an Iris Lane resident who starts off good but derailed after saying there were more white slaves than black. She now goes into human trafficking. Ugh. Will any speaker ever stick to the real topic instead of giving us their version of history? Sherman Saunders calls time on her. Thank God. She didn’t help her side of the issue at all.
Shelia Baynes is up next. She’s confused on why nothing flag-related is on the agenda tonight, and of course she knows why that’s the case. I love Sheila because she’s trolling city council. Heh. She asks for all council members to take a public stand on the issue. Sigh. Saunders calls time on Baynes four times. Fun Fact: After the meeting, Saunders apologized to her for having to shut her down.
We’ve got a new speaker who’s wearing a CSA leather vest. Guess what side of the issue he’s on? Cecil Bridgeforth talks next. He’s still against the flag. Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. The mayor asks if anyone else wants to speak and there’s nobody standing up. Could this be the end of the public comment section? Oh, hell no! It’s Glenn Scearce. Yay!
Hoo boy.
Some one has gotten Glenn’s goat. Please for the love of God, give him his goat back. Glenn’s mad as hell (or something like that) and he’s not going to take it anymore. He says that he just might start talking about problems on the flag opponents’ side of the issue.
Side note: About six months ago at a very nice Danville United meeting, we had a guest from Winston-Salem NC who talked about diversity. And the end of the meeting during the comment session, Glenn Scearce stood up and said “All of this talk is good, but we’re failing to talk about the elephant in the room. That’s the problem of the black man not supporting his family in today’s world.” Yeah, seriously. He said that, folks. Ugh.
Number of smiles in this photo: GOOSE EGG, BABY! Dianne McMahon, HELLO!
That’s all of the speakers. What? Who could follow Glenn Scearce anyway, you know? I’ll take it! Let’s move to the business section. the Walmart Neighborhood Market special use permit for a gas station at their soon to be built Nordan Shopping Center store is approved. Kathyrn Trakas’ special use permit for a new ice-making business on Newton St. sails through easily. The “urban agriculture” proposal that we told you about in this Planning Commission article eventually gets passed. Fred Shanks notes that under the new definitions, having a backyard garden would technically be illegal, so he offers an amendment to fix that. Fred Shanks is not a lawyer, but he could play one on TV. Small budget amendments for various grants are up for first reading and we’re done with business.
Around the horn time. James Buckner mentions “Danville By Choice”. Join the group! Fred Shanks goes on the record supporting the flag remaining where it is. Various council members thank everybody for speaking tonight. We heart buddy Rawley, who has nothing to say tonight. It’s work session time.
Good seats are still available.
Michael Adkins goes over the year-end financial reports.
And that’s it. We’re done here. I hope you’ve enjoyed the most comprehensive coverage of this meeting… only on SouthsideCentral!
what good is putting that flag inside the museum? Doesn’t the museum already have that same flag inside somewherezzzz?? If flag goes inside will there be a plaque and or chronology about “THAT” certain flag?
Bruce you missed my blooper when I went to sit down. The camera strap got wrapped around my hand and I nearly dropped it when I went to sit down. Thankfully all is fine!
Nice!
Mr Scearce seems to think that someone (or maybe “others”) need to be afraid because he has just about heard enough from them and will soon have to expose their sinister reasons for having an opinion he does not want to listen to. People where shaking in their seats! LOL! He is a bit full of himself. I applaud Councilman Shanks for sharing his stand.
he says what others would like to say and needs saying. he made some good points at the previous meeting. he is disgusted with how things are getting done in Danville. he knows Danville exists on the “good ole boy” system. he even made reference to that in the past as did a caller into a nightly WGSR show. so great minds think alike. have to wait watch see on exposing sinister reasons—dog him if u want…he is right on target
People still watch that station? 😀 And honestly, having the same opinion as a Star News caller doesn’t get you any credibility reports. however, it does get you crazy conspiracy theory points.
not funny. rude—-does Jessica G giving YOU credit for what she reports from your SSC blog / site make u any worse or better –CREDIBLE Or not as you implied —- than me for watching WGSR?? she mentions you and your news stories often. don’t burn any bridges.
when u get your TV station I will watch your shows. til then it’s this for now and your former employer’s station. Just because I watch WGSR don’t mean I agree with ALL the hosts say and do.
CHILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL out
Honestly Trevor, I know that there are issues to discuss, plenty of them, but his threat was silly. He just “happened” to have with him something to read regarding the moving of monuments. Give me a break…he did not just happen to have that with him.