BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — They mayor of Bellevue says it's a necessary next step, while at least one city council-member says it's a power grab. In the coming weeks the Bellevue City Council will vote on a proposal that would allow for the removal of elected city officials for misconduct.
"This is basically a recipe for creating a dictatorship here in Bellevue,” says Pat Shannon Bellevue city council member.
City Council member Pat Shannon is not mincing his words.
The proposed ordinance would open the door for council members and the mayor to be removed from office for misconduct,which can be anything from leaking information from a closed session to sexual harassment.
If it's a council member removed, Mayor Rusty Hike would appoint someone to take their place.
"The mayor gets to appoint one of his buddies and now you're just gonna have a bunch of rubber stampers on the council letting the mayor do whatever he wants,” says Shannon.
But Mayor Hike says that's not his intent.
He says there's been several recent incidents of bad behavior by council members, but the city has no teeth to do anything about it.
"Yeah, there's several circumstances and again we've written letters, we've talked to the individual and it keeps happening so that's what brought it to our attention saying 'hey, there's not a next step, how do you hold somebody accountable,” says Hike.
Here's how the process would work: charges against an elected official would be filed to the city administrator If it's deemed worthy of removal, a resolution would go to the council and then a hearing date would be set. After that, they'd need a unanimous vote from the rest of the council, to remove the person from office.
"If somebody does make a sexual harassment against somebody else and we can't talk about that in the public, but if somebody gets disciplined for it, then it comes out into the public for a hearing with council members so it does open it up,” says Hike.
When asked during an on-camera interview, Hike says the hearing would be a public setting, not a closed session.
But it seems part of the hearing could be behind closed doors.
The ordinance reads: "These matters may be held in closed session upon the majority vote and approval of the remaining council members and mayor."
In a follow up text message, Hike says, "if there is something sensitive, that portion may go into closed session."
The public hearing is set for Tuesday, November 5th.