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Posted: 10:56 PM Mar 16, 2010
Achille mayor holds special meeting
Hopes to address citizens' concerns in near future ACHILLE, OK - Residents in Achille have been upset and voicing their concerns for several weeks, especially after the arrest of their Mayor by Choctaw Tribal police for embezzlement. Tuesday night the mayor and City Council worked to calm some of the city's upset citizens.
Reporter: Maddie Garrett Email Address: maddie.garrett@kxii.com |
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ACHILLE, OK - Achille's Mayor, Lynn Chambers, has been the center of city controversy over the past several weeks. He was recently arrested for embezzlement from the Choctaw Nation. So to hopefully quiet some of the unrest, he held a special meeting of the City Council to address what to do next to answer citizens’ questions.
"I hope that the city recognizes that this town and this City Council is trying to do what's best for it and not hide or do anything that is not in their best interest,” said the City Attorney, Jeff Clark.
After a closed executive session, Clark addressed residents openly, saying the Council has decided to hold one hour of public comments at the next meeting.
There will be 20 slots of three minutes each for residents to voice their comments and concerns. He said the list will be posted this week and residents will have the opportunity to sign up and speak.
"We want to make sure that we're a transparent government, and as well as we can be allow them an opportunity to air some concerns, but obviously understanding that we do have the right to the public comments section to set guidelines and parameters,” explained Clark.
According to the Oklahoma State Open Meeting Act, a governmental body does not have to allow public comments, and does have the right to set restrictions if they choose to put public comment on the agenda.
But some residents say that's not going to do any good, and want stronger action.
"Even to know they want to do the public comment, it's not going to make any difference for what we want here, we want for Lynn to resign so we can start fresh,” said Isaac Sexton, a police officer in Achille.
30 year resident Billie Hughes feels the same way, saying she wants more drastic changes.
"I mean we can ask questions till we turn blue in the face, but they're going to do it the way they want to do it and they're going to answer it the way they want to. So it's not really doing us no good, just if he would step down and the rest of them, people would be happy here,” said Hughes after the meeting.
Chambers was arrested last week for embezzlement from the Choctaw Nation, and some residents feel his problems run deeper than that.
"If the man is guilty of embezzlement and all this stuff… if he's guilty I hope he gets what's coming to him,” said resident Larry Dollar.
A request for a state audit of the city will also be on the next meeting's agenda. Clark said the goal is to look back ten years into the city's money and to go through any computer documents that may have been deleted. The audit will probably take between six to eight months to complete.
"If it's not the City Council that's at fault, I want to make sure that it's not the City Council that's found to be at fault. And if there are concerns then we'll address them, I mean that's what we're here for,” said Clark of the audit.
Despite the City Council's efforts, some citizens still aren't satisfied.
"The books have been changed so much that I've seen since I've been here also, it's unreal I don't believe in the audit right now,” said Sexton, who’s worked for the city for over a year now.
Clark said the next meeting will most likely be next week.
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