INTERFERENCE BY YOUR ELECTED POLITICIAN
WHAT'S HAPPENED?
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In unprecedented moves, immediately following comments or votes by members of the following three bodies expressing concerns with the project, the Clinton Mayor has appointed himself to those bodies (the Clinton Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Historic Zoning Commission), replacing those members who voiced concerns.
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On Planning Commission, two members were up for reappointment in 2022; the one who had expressed concerns was removed, while the other was reappointed. 4 total Commissioners across these three bodies were removed, all having voiced concerns, and one further Commissioner pressured to resign.
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In the City Counil meeting (can be viewed on YouTube) announcing the most recent Planning Commission replacement (removing the former Historic Zoning Commission representative, replacing her on Historic Zoning Commission with himself), the Mayor stated there were too many engineers, but the person who was replaced is not an engineer.
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Regarding the replacement, another City Councilman noted in that meeting: "I sense a trend. It seems you're replacing individuals who have been outspoken and showing concerns - that hold opinions that you have said you do not hold. It looks like you are removing individuals that you have had disagreements with." (see January 24, 2022 meeting recording)
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The City has published the incorrect time for Historic Zoning Commission meetings on its website.
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The City has delayed providing documentation to the Historic Zoning Commission.
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The Mayor has repeated incorrect information regarding the Historic Zoning Commission.
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The Mayor's first act on the Planning Commission was to propose abolishing the Historic Zoning Commission as a body and to transfer its duties to the Planning Commission; this was voted against by all members of the Planning Commission except the Mayor.
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The Historic Zoning Commission voted unanimously in January 2022 (before the Mayor appointed himself and replaced two others) to not award a Certificate of Appropriateness to the developers, as their proposed plans violate Secretary of Interior Standards for the preservation of historic structures. Within two weeks, three members of the Commission had been replaced by the Mayor, after which the developers felt confident to return in April and May 2022, and received a 3-2 vote in favor (with the 3 new members voting in favor). The Commissioner who made the motion read it as dated from the meeting the month prior, which was before the information was ever even received from the developers, hinting that the result was likely pre-determined.
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At a specially-called Council meeting in May 2021, despite a packed room of citizens voicing their disagreement with the City supporting a tax abatement to the developers (payment-in-lieu-of-tax, or PILOT), usually given to large industries that bring significant jobs and not to housing projects, the Mayor voted in favor, joined only by Councilman Hatmaker. All other Councilmen voted against. Months later, Councilman Hatmaker's wife was added to Historic Zoning, to replace one of the members who had voted against granting the certificate of appropriateness to the developers in January of 2022. Mrs. Hatmaker then voted in favor of a certificate of appropriateness.
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As a realtor, the Mayor has been involved and profited off the sales of buildings in Clinton's historic district. He was the realtor for a recent group of investors of a building in the district, and appointed one of those investors to Historic Zoning, to replace another member who had voted against the certificate of appropriateness to the developers in January 2022. That investor, Mr. Heatherly, then voted in favor of a certificate of appropriateness.
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The Mayor has an inherent conflict of interest as a realtor to developers, but has seemingly used his influence to try to influence an easy path for developers, attempting to bypass or abolish the procedures and processes towns and cities rely on to ensure smart growth and responsible developers/development.