The Omnishambles of the City Council’s Code of Conduct
Remember when honesty was considered the best policy in America?
For at least the last three hundred plus years, telling the truth was believed to be a much better character trait than lying — even when doing so was extremely difficult, publicly embarrassing, self-deprecating or, worse, personally self-defeating.
Apparently the once praiseworthy virtue doesn’t apply to procedural catfights between elected Ward representatives in the conservative mecca of Midland.
Twenty-six minutes of the live regular City Council meeting on Monday, August 23, 2021 was consumed by Agenda item #4 – Amend the Code of Conduct for members of City Council and the City’s boards and commissions.
Watch this MCTV video of Monday’s meeting between 01:14:35 and 1:40:02 for an enlightening example of Midland’s well-coordinated control of local government.
Notice how the City Attorney spent the first eight minutes explaining why, after the 2020 midterm elections, the City of Midland suddenly needed a subjective new Code of Conduct policy. One that would legally control the personal behavior and free speech of the five elected council members and hundreds of appointed citizen volunteers on the city’s 19 boards and commissions.
Discussion between all five council colleagues begins at 01:23:40.
Coded dog-whistle adjectives like ‘civility,’ ‘constitutional,’ and ‘gray area’ were used to describe the ill-defined and completely subjective ‘Code of Conduct’ resolution formulated by unnamed staff members at City Hall. The purpose appears to be to control free speech both in the community but especially within the City of Midland’s local government.
The openly vindictive masked ego fest begins at 01:34:25. The sniping and whining ends with a controversial 3-2 vote adopting the four-fifths resolution at 01:40:02.
Unfortunately, citizens interested in running for a council seat or actively volunteering for openings on one of the city’s multi-member boards and commissions will have to wait to read the minutes of Monday’s agenda decision sometime in September to learn the outcome.
That’s because the city’s ‘mandatory’ Code of Conduct controversy has never fully been reported by either the local press or Mid-Michigan news media since it suddenly and unexpectedly appeared on the Jan. 25 City Council agenda.
What were once considered nonpartisan public service jobs have now become much more political, potentially dangerous, and personally risky during the last four years.
Even with the changes approved by a majority of council members Monday evening, the City of Midland’s Code of Conduct policy is particularly unpredictable for potential candidates or current incumbents committed to the idea of working to improve the common good by openly, honestly and transparently sharing their thoughts, opinions and concerns in public.
Eric Anders is a citizen of the City of Midland.