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<div><font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;">Thank you Mayor Vern. The meeting was very important and very informative. I am glad it worked out this way. I loved watching and listening to the town leaders and residents work this out and make a good decision. That is just how a small town is supposed to work and our town gets an A+! Good job on everyone's part. And, Congratulations Councilman Ebbeler on the birth of your first daughter!</font></div>
<div>Audrey Bragg</div>
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<div style="color: black; font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Vernon Archer <varcher@gmail.com><br>
To: TownTalk <TownTalk@riverdale-park.org><br>
Sent: Sat, Jun 27, 2015 1:45 pm<br>
Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Ward 1 residents and voters<br>
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Friends and neighbors,
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I wish to thank both the council members and members of the public who came out this rainy morning to review the issues related to swearing in, or possible forfeiture of the seat for the council member from Ward 1. This was, in my opinion, a complicated matter and I am much relieved that others on the council and members of the public came out to help work through the issues.
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We were unable to get a quorum to have a formal council session. Instead we had a council work session that provided me an opportunity to report on why I had grave concerns about the legality of swearing In Jonathan
<span><span>Ebbeler</span></span> to a new term of office. In short, my concerns rested in his having not been sworn into office until long after the initial swearing in on June 1. The meeting of course also heard extensively from
<span><span>Ebbeler</span></span> about his position about why he was late in getting sworn in and why he
<span>felt</span> that it was still within an allowable time frame to swear him in. The dozen or so members of the public in attendance made clear their desire have him seated.
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Despite still having concerns, it became very clear that my opinion was almost certainly in the minority on the council. I therefore administered the Oath of Office to Councilman
<span><span>Ebbeler</span></span>. The final decision still rests with
<u>the Council which is the ultimate judge of elections and qualifications of its members.</u> I trust that by taking this route nothing will stand in the way of our Town Government concentrating its talents, time and resources on moving forward on our many important projects and plans.
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This was a long and at times complicated meeting and full minutes of the meeting will be posted on the Town's website as they come available. (Special thanks to Councilman Thompson for doing double duty of taking minutes and participating in the meeting.)
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Like is often the case, unusual situations such as this one exposes ambiguities in the system, and reviewing the issues related to taking the Oath certainly did do that. I hope to work with the Council over the coming year to come up with reforms to clarify it for the future.
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Best wishes,
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Vern
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On Sat, Jun 27, 2015 at 6:48 AM, Vernon Archer
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I neglected to mention the meeting is at 10 AM this morning.
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As was posted yesterday there will be an Emergency Special Legislative Meeting for the "
<span style="color: rgb(80, 0, 80); font-size: 12.8px;">Council to consider matters related to possible forfeiture of Ward One Council seat for failure to take oath of office within time required by state law."</span>
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<font color="#500050"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I hope that you will be willing to take a portion of your morning to come out and learn for yourself what is happening. </span></font>
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<font color="#500050" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Vern<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><span><font color="#888888"><br clear="all"></font></span></font></span></span></font>
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Vernon Archer, Mayor
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Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland
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Vernon Archer, Mayor
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Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland
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