Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – You wouldn’t think a Springfield program that could possibly be paid for with, among other things, money the city receives from cannabis sales could possibly cause a tiff between two city elected officials.
But, that’s just what happened at Wednesday night’s Springfield City Council meeting. It started when Ald. Roy Williams tried to address a question about the city’s Cannabis Grant Program. He was concerned about proposals to help pay for tree removal under the program, especially following several bouts of severe weatherthis season.
“That’s what I need to hear from you, director,” said Williams.
“It’s okay, director. I’ll follow up with the alderman later. Thank you,” said Mayor Misty Buscher. “I’m going to follow up with you later on.”
“I’m not finished. I’m not finished though, Mayor,” said Williams.
“Then, discuss it with me, please,’ said Buscher.
“No. I want to finish asking her a question,” said Williams. “She’s a director. She makes the money. Are you telling me she can’t answer my question?”
“You can address it to me, sir,” said Buscher, as she tried to move to comments from another alderman.
“I don’t want to ask you. I want to ask the director,” said Williams.
Williams learned it wasn’t the initiative of the director he was trying to question, and the mayor tried to defuse the situation — something Williams accused the mayor of trying to do all the time.
Buscher than said she was just told by Williams she wasn’t chair of the city council meeting, something Williams denied.
“In policy making and in the legislative arena, sometimes the outcomes out, come out not the, the exact way we thought when we were doing it. So I never want you to think I thought you personally did this intentionally,” said Williams, to Ald. Erin Conley, as he suggested that the grant program funding wasn’t equitable to his ward, Ward 3. “What I was bringing to light that this exists now, and how can we correct it? I’m glad to hear you say you’re willing to work and try to do something with it, because- … you’re talking to a alderman [sic] who has the oldest trees in Springfield.”
No decisions were made about any changes Wednesday night.
Cooler heads did eventually prevail.
