Metro Council Defeats Meals for Deals on First Reading

Metro Council turned back an attempt to water down ethics in Metro Council by voting to defeat BL2007-78. A roll call vote was called for and the tally was 9 for the bill, 23 against. The bill received 2 less votes than the actual number of members co-sponsoring. I look forward to seeing the roll call results in the morning. It is rare for roll call vote to be called and for a bill to be defeated on first reading.

Thanks to Council Member Michael Craddock, who pulled the bill--which would have permitted members to accept free meals from constituents and interest groups--from the consent agenda so that it could be debated by the Council. In his comments, Mr. Craddock told the Council that he did not get elected to get a free meal and said, "It's cold turkey," referring to the original Ethics Bill that eliminated free meals for council members. At-Large Member and Professional Ethicist Megan Barry joined Mr. Craddock in describing BL2007-78 as a "step back." She told the group that she did not think that any member could be bought for $25.00, but she argued that the bill does create the perception among voters that members are being bought.

Speaking on behalf of the bill co-sponsors, Vivian Wilhoite argued that debate on the bill was a "waste of time," and that BL2007-78 would "make it easier to pick up a cookie" off a constituent's table and eat it without worrying about whether it constituted a free meal. She did not explain the calculus for judging why anyone with half-a-brain and an honest motive would question the ethics of an elected official eating an Oreo.


UPDATE: I took a second look at the roll call votes on a replay of tonight's meeting and it appears that District 19 member Erica Gilmore did not vote on this bill.