Tuesday, City Council voted down a proposal to pursue 287(g) authorization for select city law enforcement officers. In other words, the city failied on a longshot to do something most cities don’t do anyway, for a big net-zero effect. What was distressing was the lack of politicking behind the scenes. I have been faulted for believing there was any intrigue here, but here’s an abridged history:
Just as a precedent, city council under the administration of former Mayor Charles Worley would consider any items three members of council would agree to put on the agenda. After the last elections, Dr. Carl Mumpower was the only moderate on the board with six extreme left-wingers. At council’s retreat, he shared his dilemma with the mayor, who changed the precedent to allow any appropriate item submitted to her to be posted to the agenda in accordance with her timeframe.
Still, Mumpower has not received the level of responsiveness he wants for his issues, and recently resorted to daylighting one of his issues via a PowerPoint presentation (already queued up by the city clerk) during the Public Comment portion of the agenda. He recently ruffled his peers’ feathers by putting on the agenda a request to consider a referendum on an issue recently approved by council. It is against the rules to revote an issue within six months of its approval. Consideration of a referendum, in many ways smacked of a revote, so the city attorney did not believe any decision would be binding. The matter proceeded anyway.
In the latest controversy, Mumpower wanted to procure for the Asheville Police Department delegated authority to enforce federal immigration law in accordance with Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Vice Mayor Holly Jones was galled at the “pointed” and “race-baiting” language she said Mumpower’s PowerPoint presentation contained. The mayor was disappointed because she had not seen the slide show until it was up for public view.
Needless to say, Mumpower failed to get widespread support for his proposed eleven-point immigration program, so undaunted he persuaded his peers to ask the police chief to prepare a report on the feasibility of implementing a 287(g) program in Asheville, for presentation at the next meeting. The request is explicitly documented.
But somehow the matter fell off the agenda. Mayor Terry Bellamy was in Washington, DC lobbying, and wasn’t responding to Mumpower’s questions. City Attorney Bob Oast said requests for information are usually covered in written reports circulated to council members and not turned into agenda items. Furthermore, Oast did not realize Mumpower had intended council to vote on the matter.
So, about five hours before the meeting, the mayor accepted responsibility for the omission, and the matter was added to the agenda. This happened on the very night council was scheduled to consider a new rule forbidding items from springing onto the agenda.
