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Milone… Milone…
You can almost hear Ben Stein’s monotonously droll voice calling out the name as he did in the 1986 movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” “Milone… Milone…”
Emerson Councilman Frank Milone has already missed eight meetings this year, which includes a stretch of 12 weeks where he did not attend a single meeting (save one appearance in closed session after the public portion of the meeting was over).
When someone decides to run for office, he or she is making a commitment to the residents of that town, especially the people who voted for him or her, to represent them.
A councilperson cannot represent the people in the town without attending council meetings, where ALL action is decided. Milone has not voted, nor has he participated in any discussion prior to voting. He has not been the voice of the people that he promised to be when he ran for office three years ago.
Milone’s council seat will expire this year, and he is not seeking reelection. However, being a lame duck politician does not excuse him from his responsibilities.
Milone claims he is busy with other responsibilities and unable to attend meetings regularly. There is nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t make him a bad person. It just means that he isn’t doing his job.
If a councilperson cannot fulfill his or her responsibilities, then he or she should resign from that post. If not, then the rest of the council needs to take action.
Removing a councilperson from office doesn’t have to be a political move. It can just be the right thing to do – for the rest of the council people, who deserve the input of their peers when making decisions affecting the town, and for the residents of the town, who elect and pay for six councilpersons and a mayor to represent them.
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