A Princeton city council member says she's asking hard questions because she wants local government to be more transparent. And she says she's getting pushback.
And Monday night, council member Cristina Todd was the subject of an agenda item. She faced accusations that her interactions with city staff created a hostile work environment and that she eroded public trust by openly critiquing and questioning city department heads at meetings.
Todd was also accused of overburdening the city's open records department with requests for documents.
Princeton is the fastest-growing city in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Many of Todd's questions focus on concerns about issues regarding the city's drainage plan and how it has been impacted by rapid development.
Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. said he received a complaint from council member Carolyn David-Graves and an anonymous city staffer. Escobar said he put the issue on the agenda for executive session to give Todd the opportunity for a public hearing, which happened during Monday's council meeting.
The majority of the city council agreed that Todd's behavior didn't constitute a violation of city charter rules based on the evidence and the fact that the staff complaint was unsigned. Ultimately, the council didn't move forward with a formal complaint or investigation of Todd. But several council members took issue with Todd's methods.
David-Graves, who read her letter to the mayor aloud at Monday's meeting, said her letter wasn't meant to be a formal complaint, but an outline of her concerns about Todd's ability to communicate with city staff. In her letter to the mayor, David-Graves said Todd questions department directors during council meetings in ways that challenged their expertise and integrity.
"When these exchanges occur publicly and without prior discussion, they risk confusing residents and developers, undermining staff expertise and recommendations, and exposing the city to legal and financial liability," she wrote.
But David-Graves asked the mayor to formally review the time Todd has met or requested to meet with city staff, including interactions with the city attorney and affiliated contractors, as well as the financial cost of the meetings and requests. She also asked for a special council meeting to review if Todd's requests have been unreasonable and a violation of the city's rules of order for conduct and to determine any necessary action.
"If this situation continues, we risk developing a reputation for disorganization, ineptitude, poor governance, and frankly not being serious about development, all of which could hinder our progress and have immeasurably devastating and enduring consequences," David-Graves said during the public hearing.
The staff complaint accused Todd of creating a hostile work environment for city staff and eroding trust between staff and Todd out of fear of public criticism.
"Staff perceive that their work will be met with suspicion or public criticism, regardless of quality," the letter said.
Todd said she asks questions during council meetings for transparency — she wants the public to hear the answers to her questions. And she said staff has been resistant to her push for change.
"I only bring things up at the dais because it doesn't move anywhere when I try and talk privately with the staff or send emails," Todd said. "The only way to get something done is to bring up publicly, unfortunately."
She encouraged the staffer who wrote the anonymous complaint to reach out and talk to her.
"I'm not a scary monster," Todd said. "Yeah, I can get passionate about drainage. I can listen. I listen to people. You can come talk to me."
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