by Dean Bolin
The Gentryville Town Council found itself in a pickle on August 6.
With the resignation of Adrian Blakey last month, part of the Tuesday evening meeting was to select his replacement. However, on Tuesday, President Martha DeWitt was the only board member sitting at the table. A potential third member was there but could not be sworn in. Councilwoman Tina Kendall was not present.
Blakey’s replacement is to be selected by a town caucus composed of the two current board members. Until the council acts, a third member cannot be seated. Since the caucus was postponed, another candidate could emerge during the week, giving the board a choice.
Because of that, much of the agenda for Tuesday evening was omitted due to lack of a valid quorum. Superintendent Marty Brown gave his report because that did not require a quorum. It consisted of repairing two leaks, a valve and a hydrant. One new service was installed. He also noted that at the time of the meeting, the town was still under a water advisory contrary to an earlier report issued that morning. The final testing was taken on Tuesday, allowing the town to be released on Wednesday. Brown encouraged water customers to sign up for the free Red Alert program operated by the county as that is the best source for information when water issues occur. As discussed last month, Brown said the town submitted seven applications for street projects for this round of Community Crossing grants.
Since claims could not be approved and the town needs a full board, a special meeting was scheduled for Monday, August 12 at 6:30 p.m.
