Matthews chides City Council for District 1 decision

Councilwoman Brandi Matthews took aim at four of her fellow City Council members Monday evening after they, in her view, “purposely ignored” the wishes of some two dozen District 1 residents by electing Hiawatha Jones to fill the vacancy created when Antonio Williams stepped down from his post to serve on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners.

She substantiated her claim by referencing 21 District 1 residents who signed a petition, five who sent emails and Williams, all of whom favored Yvonnia Moore.

“I have six emails — five of them in favor for Ms. Moore. This petition is in favor of Ms. Moore. Commissioner Williams’ letter is in favor of Ms. Moore,” she said. “How can we in good conscience ignore those people?”

Ms. Matthews also alleged before the vote that “personal vendettas and personal feelings” would likely guide Mayor Chuck Allen and councilmen Gene Aycock, David Ham and Bill Broadaway — not the qualifications of the respective candidates.

“I really hope in making a decision that we put our personal vendettas and our personal feelings aside, because that is truly going to prevent us from choosing the best candidate for District 1,” she said adding that the “majority” of the current council “strongly endorsed” Ms. Jones when she ran against Williams in 2019.

Ms. Matthews then accused the four of treating Ms. Moore unfairly during the interview process.

“The entire energy in this room shifted when she walked in. I felt it. I saw it. And I watched it again when I did the playback,” she said. “She was attacked. She was lied on. And it really sent a clear message that anyone who speaks in opposition to the majority doesn’t have a fair chance at being heard.”

And she claimed that Ms. Moore would not get a fair shake because she has, on more than one occasion, voiced opposition to the majority.

“We should not punish people for disagreeing with us. Every day I walk into this room and I check my feelings at the door because y’all know what you did to me. You know how you treated me. You know how you still treat me,” she said. “I’m afraid that we’re moving too soon because you want to choose the candidate you’re going to benefit from. This board is not capable of making an unbiased decision and you are going to really slap the residents of District 1 slam in the face if you do this — if you don’t choose the right person.”

The board ultimately voted 4-2 to give the seat to Ms. Jones, with Councilman Taj Polack joining Ms. Matthews in support of Ms. Moore.

Ms. Matthews lambasted the decision.

“One, I’m extremely disappointed in this board and two, I want it to be clear that what we just said is that the residents of District 1 do not matter, this petition does not matter and ultimately, we still want to decide who we think is a better fit,” she said. “You guys ignored the residents. You purposely ignored them after you all said their voices mattered. You sat here and went against what District 1 said they wanted and who they thought was a better fit to represent them. Instead, you chose someone who’s going to represent you. You should be ashamed of that.”

“You guys claim that there’s no bias and you’ll continue to say people like me and everybody else who speak truth, we’re the problem. You have yet to own up to the problems you continue to create sitting right here in this room. But I must warn you. Your tactics and your wrongdoings, they do not come without consequence at some point. You should really consider this being your last term. We cannot afford this type of leadership anymore. We deserve better.”

Allen noted that the 21 people who signed the petition represent only a sliver of the registered voters in District 1. In November 2019, Ms. Jones earned 210 votes, losing to the incumbent, Williams, who received 275.