To the Editor,

Dresden Board of Alderman Should Resign

The Oath of Office for the position of Alderman in the City of Dresden states, “I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution and will obey the laws of the United States and of the State of Tennessee, that I will, in all respects observe the provisions of the Charter and ordinances of the City of Dresden and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Alderman.”

Five of the six Aldermen willfully violated the State Open Meetings Law (Sunshine Law) if they met secretly to conspire to Censure the Mayor, ask for his resignation and limit his ability to fully execute his duties as Mayor. Their actions resulted in Mayor Washburn filing a lawsuit against the members of the Board. In the settlement agreement of the lawsuit, all members of the Board agreed to remove the Censure of the Mayor from the record and to restore the duties of the office to him.

At the most recent meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen (July), three members of the Board had the audacity to vote against the motion despite their agreement to the settlement documents. All of the members of the Board that participated in the violation of State law and the conspiracy to censure and remove the Mayor should resign their positions as Aldermen.

The recent actions of the Board of Alderman were completely unnecessary and not in the best interest of the City of Dresden. It is so obvious some members of the Board have a personal vendetta against the Mayor and appear to be “grandstanding” to promote their personal political issues and interest.

In December 2021, Dresden suffered the devastating effect of a tornado. Homes, businesses, government offices and historic churches were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath of this event, we need our elected officials to be united in the effort to restore and rebuild our town. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Personal agendas have allowed the focus to be on everything except the restoration and clean-up efforts. Aldermen have spent more time pointing the finger of blame rather than solving the issues and challenges of restoration after a natural disaster. Again, this is not in the best interest of the town or its citizens. We must demand more of our elected officials.

I am a voter. I vote in every election. I can assure the members of the Board of Aldermen that I have a long memory and I WILL remember their action in recent months when I step into the voting booth this November.

Tom McWherter

Citizen of Dresden