WHITE SPRINGS, Fla. — The White Springs Town Council received a majority vote to declare council member Helen Miller’s seat forfeited at its June 13 meeting.

After a lengthy discussion, the motion to declare the seat forfeited passed with a 3-1 vote, with Walter McKenzie voting against. McKenzie earlier requested the review of Miller’s actions be postponed until she was present since she was unexpectedly on vacation. His request was denied.

Town manager Stacy Tebo said a letter of notice was sent to Miller on Friday and she has seven days upon receipt of the letter to request a hearing in writing. 

If she does not respond in seven days, her seat is forfeited. If she requests a hearing, Miller has to present evidence disputing the allegations. The council will then vote whether the evidence is sufficient to overturn the forfeiture. 

Prior to the board’s review of Miller’s actions — which included more than 200 pages of receipts, purchase order request forms, emails, copies of Facebook posts and an affidavit from William Lawrence, former town manager, stating his support of Tebo and examples of Miller’s actions while he was manager that were included in the council members’ packet for the meeting — several people spoke out in support of Miller during public comments.

“I am so disappointed in you guys as council members,” Merri McKenzie said. “Shame on you that you could not give Helen Miller a second to table what Walter asked for and put it on another time on the agenda. 

“I am so embarrassed and ashamed of all of you.”

Maddie Moore added: “Helen Miller and I have disagreed 1,000 times on 1,000 different subjects but to not know her heart is in here working for every single person that lives in this town to bring this town up is more than I can say for many of you sitting up there now.”

Mayor Rhett Bullard said the point of the review was to determine if the council believed the allegations warrant the forfeiture of Miller’s seat, not to determine if the allegations are true. 

“In the beginning of the meeting I heard a lot of people say they were disappointed in us,” Council member Willie Jefferson said. “We are elected to do what is best for the town of White Springs. I personally like Mrs. Miller. I thinks she is a real educated woman.”

He added that Tebo is not the first town manager to try to corral Miller’s spending. He said Lawrence asked the council to reduce spending and it would still happen. 

“I like Mrs. Miller, man, but is she a good council member, this says no,” Jefferson said referring to the packet.

McKenzie, though, disagreed with that assessment.

“This is all receipts, documented expenses, requests for expenditures, if she was trying to hide it she did a lousy job because it is all documented, it’s all right there and it is all public record,” McKenzie said. “I think the question we have to ask ourselves is are we better off before Helen Miller got here or are we better off now that she has been here and done what she has done.”

But Bullard said the issue is whether Miller had approval for the spending.

“Either she spent the money and someone gave her approval and she didn’t in my mind,” Bullard said. “If she was just out there spending it and nobody gave her the authority, that to me sounds improper.”

McKenzie said instead of voting to forfeit Miler’s position, the other council members should have been willing to show professional courtesy to Miller since she did not know it would be on the agenda as forfeiture of her position. 

“Do we just run off every manager we get just because Mrs. Miller wants to get her way,” Jefferson said. 

McKenzie replied: “I think the perception is going to be instead of a ‘rogue’ council member, she is going to be perceived as a railroaded council member and y’all are riding her out of town without hearing what she has to say.”

Based on Section 2.03 (a) of the White Springs Town Charter, there are seven reasons for forfeiture of seat:

1. Intentionally misrepresented facts which were used to determine his eligibility for election to office
2. Willfully violates any express prohibition of this charter
3. Is convicted of a crime involving felony or moral turpitude
4. Fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the council without the council’s approval
5. Moves his residence from the Town of White Springs
6. For malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office
7. When the town council determine by majority vote that there is reasonable cause to believe that any council member is disabled so as to be unable to perform his duties.

Bullard said if the council went forward with the forfeiture, it would give Miller an opportunity to be heard and disprove the allegations. 

Bullard made a motion to notify Miller of the council’s intent to forfeit her position based on Section 2.03 (a)2 of the town’s charter, which is willfully violates any express prohibition of this charter and Section 2.03 (a)6 which is malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office.

Vice Mayor Tonja Brown seconded the motion. 

During the discussion part of the motion, McKenzie asked Brown if she could give him the definition of malfeasance or misfeasance.

Brown said she didn’t need to tell Mckenzie what the definition was because he helped write the charter.

“I just wanted to make a point that you are seconding a motion that you don’t know the meaning of,” McKenzie said.

The review of Miller came after Tebo read a prepared statement regarding Miller’s actions during manager comments at the May 9 meeting. 

According to Tebo, Miller purchased food, drinks, supplies, decoration, plaques and more without consulting her.

Tebo added she did not know about the purchases until she received the credit card bills and invoices the following month.

Tebo called Miller a “rogue council member operating on her own” and urged the council to address the problem.