Patton resigns from Peabody City Council
The Peabody city council scheduled a special meeting Monday night to address the issue of hiring a third full-time employee and finding the funding to do so. Also under consideration were employee reviews and pay raises. Mayor Kevin Ensminger called the meeting to order with all council members present except Tammy Yoder.
The council was in receipt of a letter of resignation, for personal reasons, from councilman Nelson Patton, effective immediately. Without the presence of Patton and Yoder, the council did not have a quorum for the purpose of conducting business and the meeting was canceled.
Ensminger turned the floor over to Patton, who was in the audience. "There are circumstances which exist that have led me to this decision," said Patton. "I have no hard feelings toward any member of this council or any others with which I have served. I feel the time I have served as a councilman and as mayor of Peabody has been a privilege."
Patton added that he still would take an interest in city policy and would appear at council meetings from time to time. "You all know that I have a special interest in seeing the city records archived. I think this a very important issue for the history of the city," he said. "I will be back from time to time to address that and other issues I think are important."
He thanked all the people with whom he has served. He acknowledged his respect for their efforts, time, and knowledge. "And," he added, "I want our employees to know how much I respect the jobs they do and that I have enjoyed working with them."
Councilman Tom Schmidt thanked Patton for his time and effort and acknowledged his appreciation for his dedication. "I know you sacrificed time away from your family and business; I'm sure you had plenty of out-of-pocket expenses for the meetings you attended to represent Peabody," said Schmidt. "We respect your decision and we will miss you. We regret your leaving." Schmidt recognized Patton's expertise and experience in the many areas with which the current council is not familiar. "We'll miss that," said Schmidt.
Gene Schmill added that he had served with Patton since the early '90s and appreciated the many long hours Patton had put into service to Peabody. "I am proud to have served with you, N.M.," he said. "You have my best wishes."
"I have to admit I will miss arguing with you, Nelson," said councilman Randy Dallke, "but I appreciate that you never treated one person's view as more important than another's. I will also miss your ability to quickly come up with mathematical solutions in our discussions and when you brought in spreadsheets that spelled out for all of us what the end result of a decision would be. Nelson, I admire you for the time you've served."
Patton made no statement to the audience regarding his decision to resign.
Before the group disbanded, Mayor Ensminger asked that anyone interested in filling the vacancy left by Patton's resignation appear before the city council at the Feb. 11 meeting and address the council regarding his or her desire to serve on the city's governing body. Anyone who wishes to serve, but who is unable to attend the meeting, should send a letter to the council in advance of the Feb. 11 deadline.
