by Jackie Nunnery
IRVINGTON—The fireworks came early in Irvington during a dramatic last meeting on June 11 for outgoing Mayor Ralph “Rannie” Ransone, Vice Mayor Kathleen Pollard and council member Michael Bombay, with arguments over procedural issues and a closed session that eventually led to two members walking out of the meeting.
The normally quick process of approving an agenda led to a 10-minute dispute among council and the mayor over when to hold a closed session to discuss the hiring of a zoning administrator, questions of parliamentary procedure about whether changes could be made anyway, and whether or not it was even a special called meeting.
Member Bonnie Schaschek suggested moving the council’s closed session to the end of the open session instead of the beginning, not wanting to make residents wait or move “because it wasn’t going to be a five minute meeting” and that “people were very vocal ” the last time this was done by council. Council members Wayne Nunnally and Jackie Brown agreed.
But when it came down to a vote on approving the agenda, it was a 3-3 tie…
