McComb’s mayor scoffed Tuesday at a $4,000-plus quote to buy video cameras for the board room in city hall, saying the purchase would only be to the benefit of Selectman Matt Codding, who rarely attends meetings in person.
Codding, in turn, accused the mayor of turning the issue into “spectacle” and causing a “rift” among board members.
Codding had previously asked for the purchase, saying it would allow officials who needed to attend meetings remotely to be seen and heard rather than just heard over a speakerphone.
Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said Codding is asking for the cameras because he has participated in the vast majority of the meetings by phone since his term began in July.
Codding works at an Amazon warehouse in Canton and has said his work schedule prevents him from attending meetings in person on Tuesday nights. Codding did not attend this week’s meeting in person or by speakerphone, as he normally does.
City Administrator David Myers presented quotes from Wizard Electronics in Summit for a camera system that would cost $4,221.
“We’re going to do this for one selectman,” Lockley said. “I think the one selectman who ran for office knew that we were having meetings on Tuesday. He knew he should be here.
“I just don’t see us spending $4,200 for one selectman to make sure he’s able to attend a meeting when he ran knowing that meetings were on Tuesday. That’s just my opinion, and I’m just the mayor.”
Codding attempted to clarify his position after the meeting.
“What I am looking for is a solution that everyone can be heard and can be seen on Facebook at meetings when they’re on the phone and at the meetings, especially the audience,” he said.
Codding mentioned how the city spent a similar amount of money to observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month and for fireworks at the New Year’s Eve celebration without board approval.
“The next thing is that a few people around the board have had expenses in the range of $4,000 that they have asked for,” he said. “We did the decorating of city hall and the Breast Cancer walk. We did the fireworks for the New Year’s and neither of those items came before the board, so why would this $4,000 expense come before the board other than the mayor to make a spectacle and cause a rift before the board?
This board should be moving the city forward and not dividing each other.”
Codding said other board members have phoned into meetings. Bruce Mullins did so at a recent work session, and Selectwoman Terri Waterman-Baylor did when she had COVID, he said.
Lockley maintained his position that this is all about satisfying Codding, with whom the mayor has butted heads in previous meetings.
“It’s all about Matt Codding and him not being at board meetings and he wants that,” Lockley said. “It’s all about him. It’s all about Matt. That’s all I have to say about that. It’s all about Matt.”
Codding disagreed.
“I think the mayor completely understands my intentions,” he said. “I think that he is playing politics here and making it sound like it’s for one benefit of one person when it’s for the benefit of all citizens as well the whole board.”
Codding said he would be willing to take the travel money he is allowed to use as a board member and pay for the cameras.
During the work session, board members questioned the benefits of the video cameras.
“You’re basically saying this camera system is just for people that don’t make it to the meeting or something?” Selectman Eddie Thompson said. “Is that what this system is for?”
“Pretty much,” Myers said. “It’s not for folks who are on Facebook because they could see us. This would be basically for (people at the meetings) to be able to whoever’s not here and for this board to be able to see whoever’s not here.”
Waterman-Baylor raised concerns.
“So this is actually for a selectman or selectwoman that’s not here to be on the camera?” Waterman-Baylor said. “That’s it? Not for the audiences? In that case, we all can just sit home, get on the screen and have a meeting.”
