The nix has come through loud and clear after the July 20struggle over the topic of personal notification of BrookhavenBoard of Adjustments proceedings for aldermen and Mayor LesBumgarner’s subsequent promise to veto.

Bumgarner put a written explanation on the table in front ofaldermen Tuesday night to explain the decision he made to veto themeasure, which passed 4-3 at the last board meeting.

At the July 20 meeting, Ward Five Alderman D.W. Maxwell told theboard he wanted special notice of board of adjustments meetings soaldermen can attend and become involved when the issues affecttheir areas. Other city officials expressed concern that thepresence of an alderman might influence board of adjustmentsmembers’ decisions.

The mayor explained the public is notified about adjustmentshearings through advanced notice in The DAILY LEADER, an articleposted outside the mayor’s office, and a sign erected on theproperty that is the subject of the hearing. In that, he said,there is plenty of notice.

And he answered Maxwell’s insistence that he should be informed ofthe meetings in case he wants to attend as a private citizen.

“If an alderperson wants to get involved or attend any meetings ofthe board of adjustments ‘as a citizen,’ they should be notified inthe same way all the rest of the citizens are notified,” saidBumgarner, reading from his prepared statement. “To give themspecial notice is not necessary and is inconsistent with ournotification policy. This would provide them with a stamp ofauthority from the mayor’s office, and their involvement could beunderstood.”

Furthermore, Bumgarner explained, the board is not given specialnotification of meetings of other city boards including the libraryboard, the hospital board, the planning board, airport board, treeboard, school board, or any of the others.

In fact, he said, aldermen appoint members to those boards so theydon’t have to get personally involved with the decisions, and sopersonal agendas do not come into play.

“The board of adjustments is composed of people appointed by theboard of alderpersons,” he said. “The board of adjustments’specific purpose is to hear and rule on behalf of the board ofalderpersons. It was designed to keep politics out of thedecision-making process.”