Snellville residents: Limit mayor’s voting power

To end the gridlock plaguing the Snellville City Council, residents say just take Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer’s vote away.

That was the consensus Thursday night, when more than 120 residents packed City Hall to share their opinion in a town hall meeting called by state Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville).

Balfour wanted to take the pulse of the Snellville community on his proposal to change the city charter to achieve an odd-number vote on a politically divided six-member City Council.

“I know there are strong feelings on all sides,” Balfour said.

Balfour asked, by a show of hands, how many wanted an odd number of people on the council. Most raised their hands. His second question was whether it should be done by adding a council seat, subtracting a seat or limiting the mayor’s vote to cases of a tie.

Debate ensued, but most favored the last option, which is the way it was done before the mayor gained voting power through a city charter change in 2001.

One of the proponents of returning to that structure was longtime Mayor Emmett Clower. “I had the job for 26 years, and I voted twice and got in trouble both times,” he said.

In the past year, the council has deadlocked 3-3 in almost 10 recorded instances.

“It’s an embarrassment to the whole city,” said Rick Hyman, a 40-year resident of Snellville. “We need to take personalities out of it.”

But Betty Wood, a resident since 1987, said she wants Oberholtzer to have a vote.

“This mayor got voted in because we want to get away from old politics,” Wood said. “I feel that we don’t need to go backward.”

Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Bender said after the meeting that if it comes down to taking away the mayor’s vote, it should happen when Oberholtzer leaves office in 2011.

Oberholtzer, who did not attend Thursday’s meeting, has said he won’t give up his voting power “without a fight.”