Alderman’s Attendance Record Causes Commotion

What’s usually little more than a perfunctory gesture turned into a miniature controversy this week when the Ballwin Board of Aldermen was required to approve its previous meeting’s records log.

Alderman Ron Markland, who represents Ward 2 near the city's northwest end, objected to records from the board’s Jan. 24 meeting which not only listed Markland as absent, but quoted Mayor Tim Pogue as saying that “He was at his home in Florida,” referring to a home occupied by Markland’s wife.

“I wonder why he stated this,” Markland said. “Furthermore, it’s interesting that while I was listed as absent … I was also listed as the alderman who made a motion for a second reading of a bill.”

Prior to Monday’s meeting, Markland missed two of the board’s last four bi-weekly meetings. Markland confirmed that he was in Florida during the Jan. 24 session, but said the reasons for his absences aren’t a matter of public record.

 “I propose that in the future, the mayor, and the [city clerk] concern themselves with whether a person is present or absent, and they keep their personal comments to themselves.”

Mayor Pogue publicly challenged that statement, and defended the practice of logging reasons for the elected-members’ absences.

“And for the record, I did talk about it. I think it is appropriate … that we do know why an alderman is missing from a meeting, especially when three meetings have been missed for reasons other than [things] work related or because they were ill.”

Markland motioned to discontinue recording explanations behind aldermen’s absences, but did not gain support from fellow board members. The board did, however, approve removing the explanation behind Markland’s Jan. 24 absence from the official city records, in addition to making a correction.