Tempers flare in Earle city council meeting

Tempers flare in Earle city council meeting

Cross has words with mayor, chief over lack of police reports

news@theeveningtimes.com

An Earle city councilman took the city’s police chief to task for never having anything to report to the city council.

Councilman Kenneth Cross chastised Chief Jerry Eaves for not having anything to bring before the council during the May meeting.

While both the water department and street department heads regularly report on their activities and submit reports in writing to the council, Eaves has never had anything to discuss since taking over as police chief.

“You never have anything to report,” Cross said.

“Why is that?”

Cross told Eaves that he could at least report to the council on the number of arrests, traffic stops, and revenue they have collected.

“You don’t ever have anything,” Cross said. “Can’t you write something down?”

Eaves told Cross that the court clerk is responsible for those figures.

“Usually the court clerk does that and gives them to the treasurer,” Eaves said.

Cross suggested that Eaves should get the crime figures and put it in a report to the city council so they have an idea of what the police department is doing.

“Well, you need to get that from the court clerk,” Cross said. “You need to have something.”

Cross’s remarks drew a sharp rebuke from Mayor Sherman Smith who reminded Cross that Eaves reports to him, not the city council.

“Mr. Eaves works for me, not you,” Smith said. “And you don’t get to badger him.”

Smith’s criticism of Cross prompted a heated backand- forth exchange. The two officials frequently spar at council meetings, mostly over Cross’s perceived attempts to micromanage city affairs.

“I’m not badgering him,” Cross responded. “I’m asking

him.” “You can make suggestions of what you would like him to do,” Smith said. “But he doesn’t answer to you.”

Cross told Smith that as an elected official he has a right to ask the police chief questions.

“He is not my employee,” Cross said. “But if I want to ask him a question, I will.

No one can stop me.”

Smith reminded Cross that as mayor he is the head of the day-to-day operations, not the city council.

“You need to ask it in a question,” Smith said. “Not tell him what to do. Do you have a questions?”

“I made a suggestion,” Cross said.

“No, you told him,” Smith replied. “You do that a lot.

You need to quit that.”

“You need to stop telling me what to do and do your job,” Cross continued.

“That’s what you need to do.”

“I can’t because you’re always in there,” Smith shot back.

Smith told Cross that he wasn’t going to argue with him and again asked whether he had a question for Eaves.

“Do you have a question for him?” Smith asked.

“I did,” Cross said. “I asked if he had anything. I suggested. If you take that the wrong way, that’s on you.”

“I didn’t take it the wrong way,” Smith responded. “I know exactly what I heard.”

“You need to do your job,” Cross fired back.

“Well, you’re not my boss either,” Smith said.

“You’re not my boss either,” Cross answered.

Smith apologized to the citizens in the audience for the heated exchange, but not the substance of his remarks.

“Some people just keep going and going,” Smith said.

Cross apologized to Eaves for coming across as too harsh, but not to Smith.

“If I came off in a manner that you didn’t like, I apologize to you,” Cross said.

“I’m not apologizing to him.”

“I don’t need one,” Smith shot back.

By Mark Randall