What a Sad Spectacle: CITCOM has a Meltdown

Perhaps the saddest aspect of this report is that the CITCOM meltdown was, ostensibly, about Royal Oak's Animal Shelter, a city responsibility which a previous commission unwisely chose not to eliminate. Really, though, this part of the meeting turned out to be mostly angry point-counterpoint exchanges between, and about, the once two stars at the table: Capello and Rasor.

Oh, how they diminished themselves.

Even Ellison got caught up in the emotional and unintelligent debacle, an example being when he said to Goodwin, "You and I just don't like each other." Completely out of character for Jim.  For the most part, though, Jim maintained his composure except when he lashed out during exchanges with Capello and Poulton.

Whether and when the Shelter was in good or bad shape kept interrupting the basic issue: Did Capello use her position as a city commissioner in violation of the City Charter which forbids a commissioner from directing (or attempting to direct?) the activities of any city employee?*

An investigation has been proposed. The appropriateness of conducting such an investigation was supposed to be examined, but the examination repeatedly was replaced by personal exchanges and by references to the apparently frequent changes in the Shelter's performance and condition.

After reviewing developments at the Shelter over the years, Capello essentially moved the discussion to what she perceives has been a political attack on her, in reprisal over her active role in the ethics investigation of Rasor. She found occasion to mention the mayor's wife, who for a time took care of some dogs in her private facility. She reported a conversation with Ellison in which he told her she did not have the votes to become Mayor Pro Tem. Jim countered by saying  that by the time that conversation was over, "You did have enough votes."

Beginning with "Where do I begin? Ellison began with, "My trust in her has been misplaced." Offering his own review of the good and bad times at the Shelter, he expressed resentment that Capello had brought his wife into the so-called "conspiracy" against Pat.

If all that sounds confusing, it's because it was, as Rasor and Capello and Ellison occasionally interrupted each other, dropping any pretense of following Robert Rules of Order. For most of the emotional discussion, there was essentially no chairman of the proceedings.

Rasor rebutted but did not successfully refute Capello's assertion that this reach for an investigation is a reprisal action related to her participation in the ethics investigation against him.

Poulton reminded his colleagues that City Manager Don Johnson had made it clear that neither he nor the Police Department had been approached by Capello re the Animal Shelter. David wondered aloud whether the few questions left after Johnson's presentation couldn't be addressed without a formal investigation. Uncharacteristically, David was vociferous in an extended and heated exchange with Ellison.

Biased or not, Rasor's final argument carried the day: "The process requires us to have an investigation."  Ellison called for the vote. The vote was 5-2, with Poulton and Goodwin voting No.

Two budget meetings are scheduled for later in the month. Let's hope tempers have cooled by then, because what we saw in this CITCOM meeting was a group of public servants, who had conducted an excellent first half of the meeting, dissolve into dysfunctional chaos. I think Capello, Rasor, Ellison, and Poulton will wish they had not made certain statements or wish that they had said them differently. DuBuc and Fournier repeatedly tried to bring the rambling arguments back into focus.

It was sad. Too much of it was unseemly.

But these men and women have the intellectual skills to overcome the sad/bad vibes and get back on track -- as they had been in the first half of this meeting. In fact, the last item on the agenda, re fence ordinance amendments, was calmly, if wearily, discussed before they adjourned at 12:04.

Frank Versagi is the editor of Versagi Voice.