Mayor Lynn Pett says he hasn't decided whether to sign, not sign or veto a controversial ordinance that would require some appointed Murray officials to live within the city.
Pett said he hopes to make a decision on the ordinance, which passed 4-0 during a special City Council meeting last Tuesday, by the end of the day Friday.Mayor-elect Dan Snarr sent Pett a letter asking him to veto the ordinance or not take any action and allow Snarr to veto the legislation once he takes office Monday.
The five appointed positions identified by the ordinance are the city's police chief, fire chief, engineer, executive director for the City Council and the mayor's executive assistant.
Snarr strongly opposes the ordinance, contending it is aimed at thwarting his plan to hire D'Arcy Pignanelli as the mayor's assistant.
Pignanelli, the wife of former state lawmaker and Democratic party stalwart Frank Pignanelli, has experience in city administration and an extensive political background.
Snarr said Pignanelli, who does not live in Murray, will still take the job. If the ordinance stands, however, she would have to move into the city within a year or abandon her new post.
"I can see the pros and cons, but I haven't made a decision yet," Pett said Friday morning. "I'll try to make it before the day is over."
Pett, who was out of town Tuesday when the ordinance passed, said his phone "has been ringing constantly" since his return Wednesday. "Some people are for it, and some are against," he said.
State law gives the mayor a 15-day window to decide whether to veto an ordinance. But the current situation is unusual because Snarr, who defeated sitting councilman Leon Robertson in the mayor race, will take office just five days into that 15-day period.
Pett said he has asked for legal advice on whether a new mayor could veto an ordinance passed before that person takes office.
Pett's options include:
- Signing the ordinance. If that happens, it would take a majority vote of the new council to rescind the law - and two of the people who voted for it Tuesday, Robertson and Councilman Gary Ferrero, remain on the council.
Councilman-elect John Rush said earlier this week that if the ordinance stands, he will offer a resolution to rescind it as early as the Jan. 13 council meeting.
- Not sign it and let Snarr veto the ordinance, provided the new mayor can legally do so.
Both councilmen-elect, Rush and John Ward, have indicated they're not necessarily opposed to a residency requirement but say they question the timing of the ordinance and want further study.
Pett said he agrees the timing "is not a wonderful thing."
- Veto it himself, an action some council members might see as reneging on a previous commitment to support such a requirement.
Pett, who said he'd hoped his last few hours in office would have been a little more peaceful, noted he has always encouraged city department heads to live in the city where they work. "But nothing has said they had to," he added.