In Discussion Spurred by Mayor, Town Council Considers the Merits of a New Code of Conduct

On January 8, at 7 p.m. in the Front Royal Town Hall at 102 East Main Street, the Town Council met for a work session in which they discussed, among other items of business, the merits of a new code of conduct for council-researched and drafted by Mayor Lori Cockrell. The discussion was animated, involving frank remarks of dissent from Councilwoman Amber Morris.

Town Council settles into the second-floor Town Hall meeting room for its Monday, Jan. 8, evening work session. Royal Examiner Photos Brenden McHugh

Following discussion of a potential boundary adjustment to Town limits, itemization of items to be addressed at an upcoming liaison meeting between Town and County, a brief budgetary input from Director of Finance B.J. Wilson, and a presentation from John Culbertson of MidAtlantic Solid Waste Consultants, which serves the Town in the capacity of providing analysis regarding solid waste collection, the mayor introduced the code of conduct for review. Following as it did a presentation on taking out the trash, it was only fitting that the contents of council’s ‘family romance’ were emptied in front of the press. As the passion of Morris indicated, Cockrell’s push for behavior befitting a council member is part of an ongoing, systemic issue. The code discussion was largely spent nuancing the meaning of the word improper when it comes to how council members are influenced by input; the word also captures how they permit themselves to act when interacting with each other and outsiders.

John Culbertson of MidAtlantic Solid Waste Consultants presents council with options for overcoming a financial deficit related to refuse collection.

“I think your intention in this is very well,” Morris remarked, addressing the mayor after the mayor focused the discussion on the definition of “improper” in terms of council members being improperly influenced, then added, “I think that you’re being very optimistic. I think this is going to be used as a tool against the council, and I think that the people in the public who did elect us to sit here in these seats equally elected each of us in our spots for different reasons … I will not be participating in this … the council can censor council members but aside from that the only way I can lose my seat here is if two-thirds of the registered voters in the town of Front Royal vote to remove me from the seat they elected to put me in … sometimes the duty of the constituents that elected me to be here is not always pretty …”

That Morris believes aspects of the proposed Code of Conduct could impact her continued presence on council seems to be implied here, yet only elliptically as no single aspect was specifically named. The extent to which Cockrell’s proposed Code of Conduct arises out of the necessity of addressing issues specific to Morris is also unclear. Yet Morris, in her remarks, seems to be indicating the ways in which she anticipates the code might affect her.

“Improper is subjective,” Cockrell said as council delved deeper into the language of the proposed code with the assistance of Town Attorney George Sonnett. The word “improper,” as it is used here, is an umbrella not only for council members being unduly influenced by a constituent’s input but also for conducting themselves in a way that is not respectful to others. “This Code of Conduct is not just about how we interact with each other,” Cockrell continued, “It’s also how we interact with the public.” The mayor referred to meetings in the past where members engaged in shouting matches with the public person at the podium.

“And I was there for those meetings,” Morris said. “I just don’t think that even if this code of conduct were in place, it would have changed those people’s behavior or actions.”

Taking the code point by point, Cockrell led council in discussing language that could be widely interpreted, receiving suggestions for a more precise word choice. The discussion was heavily annotated by Morris, who proclaimed at one point as they were discussing being respectful of other’s opinions. “Sometimes people are wrong!” Morris exclaimed, saying there might be a fact at stake, a fact that possibly has legal ramifications. — “I don’t have to honor those opinions that don’t uphold law and order,” Morris argued.

In terms of always remaining within their jurisdiction, Cockrell advised that in the past, council members have strayed from their jurisdiction by asking staff to do things that said council members had no authority to ask. Returning to the word choice “improper” for influence versus other options like “inappropriate”, the discussion again received strong input from Morris who said: “It’s just so much left up to interpretation and interpretation by who – by who?”

In response to a bullet point about council operating in harmony, Morris said: “There have been times with a previous town manager … previous council, previous mayor, where I have refused to participate in a meeting because it gives us exposure to something. So, therefore I’m not going to act as a whole body in this. I have to make my own conscious decision on what the best interest is for the town, for the two thousand people who elected me … So, I’m not agreeing to act as a whole with you guys if you guys go into a meeting that I know George said: ‘Nah, I would advise you not to do that,’ and you guys decide you’re all going to do it … I’m not going to agree to keep it kosher.”

At 9:45 p.m., council went into closed session to discuss personnel issues, receive legal counsel regarding First Bank and Trust, and to receive legal counsel concerning the Youth Center, which in a passing reference made earlier in the evening Amber Morris claimed has fallen flat.

Click here to watch the Town Council Work Session of January 8, 2024.