For the past two months, the six sitting members of Smyrna Town Council have remained divided over attempts to appoint a seventh member to the vacant seat on council.
But some Smyrna residents are eager to see the issue resolved.
Prior to Monday night’s council meeting, a handful of residents stood on the steps of Town Hall and raised signs calling for council to appoint Tony DeFeo to the vacant seat.
“I believe in what he stands for,” said Heather Burleigh, who held a sign in support of DeFeo’s appointment. “He has a passion for serving the town.”
In each of the previous three council meetings, a member of council nominated DeFeo for the open seat, but each time, the motion fell one vote short, usually in a 3-3 tie.
Kathy Melvin said it’s about time for “the three obstructionists” to do the right thing.
“I have no idea why they’re voting no,” Melvin said.
“They’re behaving in a spiteful manner,” said Janelle Jones, who held a sign calling for council to “stop the monkey business” and “get back to work.”
“It’s very unprofessional and it’s wasting our time,” she said. “There’s no reason for it, except for political reasons.”
The show of support did not break the deadlock, though.
For the fourth meeting in a row, Smyrna Council did not agree on an appointment.
When council considered the issue, Councilman Larry Thornton put forth a new candidate for the vacant seat. Thornton nominated Jeffrey Montejo for the position, but council voted 4-2 against the motion.
Next, Bob Riddagh nominated DeFeo for the seat for the fourth time in as many meetings. Council again deadlocked 3-3 on his nomination, so the motion failed.
No one else made a nomination for the seat.
Public comments on vacant council seat
Earlier in the evening, during the portion of the meeting for public comments, Smyrna resident Al Kraft presented a petition supporting DeFeo for the open seat.
Mayor Pat Stombaugh said the petition contained approximately seven pages of names and addresses of people who signed on to support DeFeo’s appointment.
Another resident, Melaine Minear, asked Councilman Thornton why he had not supported DeFeo’s appointment.
In response, Thornton said he had explained his position to Mr. DeFeo himself, and to constituents who contacted him, some of whom agreed with him and some of whom disagreed.
Thornton pointed out that two people – Jennifer Merrill and Jeffrey Montejo – had filed for the vacant seat, but due to problems not of their own making, were not able to run.
“Mr. DeFeo ran a good campaign and was defeated,” Thornton said. “The other two didn’t get a chance to run.”
When former Councilman Bill Pressley resigned his seat on March 13 in order to run for mayor, the town initially accepted candidates who wished to run for the newly vacant seat in the April election.
But it was later determined that Pressley’s seat couldn’t be included in the election because there wasn’t enough time to meet the state’s requirement for posting a notice of the open seat.
Jeffrey Montejo also spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting. Montejo announced that he had submitted a letter to council proposing himself as a candidate for the vacant seat.
Montejo said he didn’t want to take away from Mr. DeFeo’s qualifications, but added that he “felt it was important to offer council an alternative.”
Montejo urged council to appoint either himself or DeFeo to the open seat.
Reactions to Monday’s votes
Under other council business, Mayor Stombaugh asked for legal guidance on the issue of appointing a seventh council member.
“I cannot believe you can stop government dead in its tracks,” she said.
Thomas Barrows, who filled in as the town’s legal counsel at Monday’s meeting, said there must be a nomination, followed by four affirmative votes, to approve an appointment.
“That’s just it in a nutshell,” Barrows said. “This is how democracy works, and sometimes democracy’s tough.”
After the meeting, Councilman Memphis Evans said he was a little skeptical about filling the vacant seat at first, but now he supports making an appointment.
Evans voted in favor of the motion to appoint Montejo, but against the motion to appoint DeFeo at Monday’s meeting.
“I think the seat should be filled at the next council meeting,” Evans said.
DeFeo expressed no bitterness after the meeting.
“I’m a patient man,” he said. “I want to thank the people who signed the petitions, the people who made the signs. I’m extremely humbled by what they did.”
DeFeo also said he remains a candidate for the vacant seat.
“I’m in it for the long haul,” he said.
After the meeting, Mayor Stombaugh said she would still like to see DeFeo appointed to the vacant seat, and she expressed frustration that some members of council continued to vote against it.
“I can’t believe they will not listen to the people they represent,” she said. “We’re supposed to vote on behalf of the people. It upsets me they are totally ignoring their constituents.”
Stombaugh said she’d like council to try one more time to make an appointment, and if it doesn’t happen then, she’s just as soon see the seat remain empty.
“I think the town has been embarrassed enough,” she said. “It’s time to resolve it or let it go.”
How they voted
Smyrna Council voted 4-2 against a motion
to appoint Jeffrey Montejo to the vacant council seat.
Yes No
Larry Thornton Pat Stombaugh
Memphis Evans Valerie White
Bill Raynor
Bob Riddagh
A motion to appoint Tony DeFeo to the
vacant council seat failed after a 3-3 vote.
Yes No
Pat Stombaugh Larry Thornton
Bill Raynor Valerie White
Bob Riddagh Memphis Evans
