Citizens Allege Sunshine Law Violations by the City of Memphis
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
City Administrator Accused of Inappropriate Conduct
By Echo Menges
Two Memphis citizens, Jacob and Lexi Howard, have reported to the Memphis City Council that they were denied public meeting minutes by city staff and the City Administrator. The couple has also reported they have filed four Sunshine Law violation complaints against the City of Memphis with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
The Howard’s attended the recent Memphis City Council meeting on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and explained their grievances during an open to the public meeting. Jacob Howard gave details about being treated inappropriately by the City Administrator and played an audio recording of a heated exchange with the City Administrator alleged to have occurred at City Hall.
During his address to the City Council, Jacob Howard read the following letter before playing the audio recording of part of the heated exchange between the Howard’s and the City Administrator.
Howard’s letter, which was sent via email and read aloud to the City Council during their open to the public meeting is included below:
To the Board of Aldermen,
An Aldermen told my wife and I that since the minutes from the April meeting, involving the previous Parks Director, was not going to be released to the public that we would need to go get the minutes ourselves.
I would like to inform you of an incident that happened on July 9th, 2024, between my wife, myself and the City Administrator Stacy Alexander. Around 1:30 pm, we went to City Hall to request copies of the council meeting minutes from April, until the current month’s minutes. JeanAnn Meier tried to help us, but was unsure where the minutes were kept.
We were told the City Clerk, Jessica Newcomer was not in, but would be back in around 10 minutes. So, we decided to wait in our car for her to return. After her return we entered City Hall again and asked for the minutes from Jessica and were told that, “Stacy has said that we need to fill out a sunshine law request form to be able to obtain the monthly minutes.”
We asked Jessica why we needed to fill out a form if these were public minutes that anyone can come retrieve at any time. Stacy said, from his office that again we need to fill out a sunshine law request form. We asked again were these minute records not for the public to get at any time.
Jessica had brought us the April and May minutes but did not bring the June minutes. We asked for the June minutes and were told that we cannot have the minutes since the Memphis Democrat hasn’t published them yet. We asked why that mattered. At which time Stacy yelled at us to “get the (expletive) out.” He then stormed out to the lobby and yelled at my wife and I that he is on the board of All-States Equipment, and he should come out and check into by-laws and regulations. (Note: All- States is also my place of work.)
My wife, Lexi, asked what All-States has to do with it and why he was getting mad at us for simply asking for City Council Meeting minutes. Stacy asked what she wanted. I grabbed the minutes we had received and told Stacy that this is what I want.
He proceeded to slam the door, in the lobby, into my leg while yelling and cussing at me (inches from my face) to get the hell out of his (expletive) face. Stacy and I had words back and forth and after about a minute he walked off back to his office. I yelled down the hall that these are public minutes, and you cannot keep the public from obtaining the public agenda and minutes and that you could be sued for withholding the public information.
My wife and I then talked more to Jessica and JeanAnn about getting the June minutes. Jessica said she would get them printed off but would like us to come back and get them. Lexi told Jessica several times that we were fine waiting for her to print the minutes that we weren’t in a hurry.
I told Jessica that this was the 3rd time we had requested something from the City, and weren’t really wanting to come back. I also told Jessica and JeanAnn that I want this whole incident on record of what just happened. Jessica got us the June minutes and said that the July minutes would need to be approved at the August Meeting for us to get a copy.
We thanked Jessica and JeanAnn and left. After we left I noticed my leg had a small cut and my inhaler that was in my pocket had been broken due to Stacy slamming the door into my leg.
I also would like to add after we had left my boss received a text from Stacy asking if I was still employed at All-States.
This is the 3rd time that something like this has happened with Stacy Alexander and members of my family. The first, was with Alderman Aldridge in Stacy’s office with my wife and her sister, where he got into their face.
Lexi’s sister filed a police report of the incident and when the chief of police went to city hall to present the report, he was told that if she doesn’t drop the report that the city was going to charge her with trespassing for going back to his office without asking.
The second, was with my wife, over the phone when she called to see if statements from the former Parks Director at the April meeting were going to be put in the next meeting minutes in the paper. Stacy took the phone from who Lexi was talking to and asked her if she had anything better to do other than to harass the city. And now this.
This has gone on for too long and has gone too far. His attitude with something as simple as requesting public minutes is unfit to be the City Administrator. Someone whose job is right under the mayor and above every other city employee cannot act like this to the public.
I believe he is unfit to hold his position as the City Administrator. There is multiple accounts of verbal or physical abuse and now harassment. We have audio and video recordings of two of the interactions along with photo evidence and a screenshot of messages to my boss.
Thank You,
Jacob Howard
July 10, 2024
Members of the City Council were advised to not comment on the matter by City Attorney Brett Bozarth, and the personnel matter involving the alleged inappropriate conduct by the City Administrator should be addressed in closed session.
It is unclear what the ramifications of the alleged Sunshine Law violation complaints will be.
The Missouri Sunshine Law demands that meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies be open to the public unless an exemption is provided by law. Public bodies who violate the Sunshine Law, Chapter 610 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, can open themselves to costly litigation fees, fines, settlements, and judgements through the court process.
This is a developing story. More information will be released when it becomes available.
(Reporters Note: A video of the full City Council meeting will be available on memphisdemocrat.com this week. The meeting video contains mature language.)
Related Posts
