UNION, Ky. — New metropolis commissioners have been chosen by the Union mayor simply days after a Boone County choose ousted all elected commissioners.
Monday night, Union Mayor Larry Solomon went by means of the appointment course of for the Metropolis’s Fee. He started by appointing commissioner John Mefford, later accredited as Mayor Professional Tempore.
“They put this in entrance of us to do,” the mayor mentioned concerning a choose ruling he should appoint the commissioners.
The mayor instructed WCPO that he believes that the scenario may have been solved weeks earlier than, as an alternative of attending to this appointment course of.
Mefford then nominated Doug Bine, who was accredited by means of a vote from Mayor Solomon. Bine returned to his fee seat after submitting a lawsuit as a consequence of allegations of election fraud in November.
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In December, a Boone County choose denied a restraining order that will have prevented the newly elected commissioners from taking their seats Jan. 1. The try got here after Bine filed a lawsuit contesting the outcomes of the November election.
With Brueggemann’s resolution, all three newly elected commissioners — John Mefford, Brian Garner and Eric Dulaney — have been ousted from their seats. This resolution leaves Solomon as the one member of town fee.
Bine instructed WCPO he didn’t know he could be appointed earlier than Monday’s assembly. He and his legal professional, Steven Megerle, mentioned they’d hoped the choose would rule to open a brand new election relatively than entrusting the mayor with the accountability as an alternative of voters.
“That is what we wished, this is not the way in which we wished to do it,” mentioned Commissioner Bine.
The third commissioner accredited Monday evening was George Eldridge, who each the mayor and Bine confirmed was not on the poll.
Bine really useful Eldridge and supported his resolution after the affirmation vote: “Given some issues I do not wish to talk about, I simply imagine George is the best individual. It is simply what I felt I wanted to do.”
Hearken to what they mentioned right here:
Union mayor appoints 3 new metropolis commissioners after months of authorized challenges
One of many commissioners who was ousted from the choose’s ruling, Brian Garner, attended the assembly and expressed severe frustration with the method on to Mayor Solomon.
“I am upset in you, you let me down, you let down that voted for me,” Garner mentioned to the mayor throughout the assembly’s public remark portion.
The mayor responded to statements made to him by Garner to WCPO, “Nicely I can perceive that if… No, I am not going to touch upon that.”
WCPO spoke with a Union couple who attended the assembly and mentioned they did not know that commissioners could be appointed.
“I do not agree with it wherever, I feel it has to undergo the political election course of,” mentioned Rick Harvey.
Each he and his spouse, Carol Harvey, questioned why one of many new commissioners was not somebody who ran within the 2024 election.
“That isn’t what that must be finished,” mentioned Carol Harvey.
Solomon instructed the three members of the Metropolis Fee to work as a job pressure to start a vetting course of to search out the fourth member of the fee within the coming weeks.
