Evansville City Councilman Justin Elpers (R-W5)
“City Council will vote on a proposed change to its meeting rules. Under the current meeting rules, it takes two council members to bring forward a Resolution for vote. The proposed change increases that to three members. I disagree with this partisan approach. If the rule change is passed, it will make it easier to silence any opposing view that could be held by the minority members. The question needs to be asked. Why are elected officials unwilling to listen to views different from their own?”
These are the words of Evansville City Councilman Justin Elpers (R-5th Ward), posted on his ‘elected official’ public Facebook page.
Some of the comments below his post read:
“Whose idea was that? “If we can’t stop them we will silence them” elected officials not wanting to hear the minority view? That would only fly in a communist or (M)arxist country.”
“Seems to be going around these days don’t you think?”
“Totally uncalled for the rules were put in place for a reason.”
“I would like to know who proposed this rule change?”
Even former City Councilwoman, Michelle Mercer, chimed in on the proposal, “I disagree with proposed 3 as well!”
Why would so many people oppose such a seemingly minor change to the meeting rules? Essentially, passing the ordinance would silence the minority on the council. Presently, that minority is the Republican voice.
The Council Minority
With a Democrat-majority, there are six Democrats and three Republicans on the nine person council… although, one of those Republicans, Jonathan Weaver (At-Large), has served on the Evansville City Council for the better part of a decade as a Democrat before switching parties at the beginning of this year.
Another Republican on the council is President Ron Beane (At-Large) who received a 7-2 vote from the Democrat council for the Council President role at the start of 2021. As a Republican, Beane has consistently supported Democrat resolutions and ordinances and opposed nearly every conservative measure since he was elected in 2019.
Finally, second-term Councilman Justin Elpers, who has consistently supported and proposed both bi-partisan and conservative causes throughout his tenure, has recently proposed resolutions (specifically requested of him by conservative members of the public) but the Democrat majority, often led by Ron Beane (R?) has voted against Elpers each time and killed each of his proposals without fail.
The Democrat (super?)majority, however, is not without its disagreements. In 2020, the Democrats on the Council were often in boisterous arguments against one another during the City Council meetings.
One council member has even stated that some of the newer council members are more Socialist than they are Democratic, and that they don’t represent the Democrat party as we have known it here in Evansville for many, many years.
The Proposal
The proposal to increase the power of the majority and decrease the voice of the minority is a notable political tactic often used in Socialist and Marxist countries, and not in the Democratic process of our Constitutional Republic of America in which the people are the deciding factor on policy and not the collective top-down agendas of the powers-that-be.
Citing MLK’s “content of their character” quote, one life-long Evansville taxpayer, upon hearing of this proposal said, “Perhaps Elpers should propose a resolution to change Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (upon which the Civic Center sits) to Authoritarian Way.”
The Evansville City Council meets this evening (8/23/21) at 5:30 at the Civic Center in Room 301.
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UPDATE: The discussion and vote was tabled for September 13th because the sponsor of the proposed rule change (Ron Beane) was unable to attend due to illness.
UPDATE: As anticipated, the September 13th Evansville City Council “Change in Rules Proposal” (G-2021-12) passed with a vote of seven-to-two, with the two members who voted against being the conservative minority – Justin Elpers (R – Ward 5) and Jonathan Weaver (R – At-Large).
However, before the vote, Councilwoman Missy Mosby (D – Ward 2) introduced an amendment which struck the words “general ordinance” from the proposal but left “resolutions” within. The council attorney Joshua Claybourn discussed that most resolutions are “non-binding” which means that there would be no required enforcement of passed resolutions.
Oftentimes, resolutions are made to communicate a city’s stance on an issue… but they have the potential to pave the way for similar “binding” ordinances to be passed in the future due to an already established legislative precedent.
