UPDATED: see footnotes of Tuesday Council meeting.
Last month, Yukon mayor, Shelli Selby used her ceremonial proclamation discretion; not to declare a day to honor service dogs or honor a retiring city employee. No, this time she simply proclaimed a new law into existence within the city. No unmasked person can come to a city meeting or office to exercise their petitioning of govt. or redress of grievance unless they conform to the very thing they cannot or will not submit to.
So some of the people of the district turned to their state Representative, Jay Steagall. This led the lawmaker to reach out to the new mayor & advise her of the overstep and how to correct it. That was enough to get the local police mixed up in the drama, because she says the conversation and follow up messages now amount to harassment of the woman mayor. Would a man claim harassment? Not as likely, for sure. Now the mayor is complaining to the Oklahoma Speaker of the House, to attempt to get Charles McCall to punish the lawmaker who is simply trying to provide constituent services for his own citizens of the House district. This could set back political opportunity for thousands of women, when ordinary voters get sick of the cheap political 'victim card' being used to win political matters. There are real victims of harassment, just like there are real victims of racism. But when a politician abuses the police and the govt. process just to score another political coup; then the real bully is the one holding the victim card. |
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 Jay & Kim Steagall
Had the Yukon City Council actually held an official ordinance vote on this matter, then Steagall would be dealing with the details very differently. The mayor is able to publish executive orders for city employees to conform to, as can the City Council. But last we checked, mayors are not afforded dictatorial powers in any crisis. Mayor Selby is being a thug and hiding behind her own edicts so that only those conforming to her edicts are allowed to come to the city govt. buildings and talk to her.
Selby was elected mayor, not by her ward 2 constituents, but by the other city council members. And that was just 2 months ago. There was no mask or public health agenda item on the July 7th council meeting. Nor was there a mask or public health agenda item on the August 4th council meeting. This leads to the conclusion that Mayor Selby claims she has dictatorial powers to enact the edict as a proclamation. It further seems that the other council members are either content to have Selby take the heat & are willing to seed this power to her for the outcome they also support, or we will perhaps see fireworks at tonight's meeting. The council session starts at 7pm.Watch it on Zoom. |
Yukon Mayor, Shelli Selby
As a would-be politician, Selby picked on the wrong target. Jay Steagall is a warm and friendly public servant who served his nation honorably in the military. His quiet demeanor is far from the narrative of a bully, as Selby would have the people of Oklahoma imagine.
This behavior can only be corrected by the voters in Yukon Ward 2, who actually sent this licensed nurse and school employee to the city council. |
Update 8/4/2020
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This Yukon Mayor spoke at the end of the semi monthly council meeting. She says her city charter gives her the power to issue edicts. She said she'll only submit to her 4 colleagues, if a majority of them dissent on her laws. She specifically said the voters of the city have no authority to challenge her edicts.
And evidently, any state official who contacts her will be guilty of harassment. She just took office 2 months ago. Citizens will either have to submit to a full term of this kind of governance of their city, or ponder the remedies to challenge actions. Another option would be a recall vote of the mayor & all of the council members who voted for her. We've posted the video clip of her comments at the 8/4 council meeting. |
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