Sandra Anderson Groat - At Large - Mayor Pro Tem

Welcome to my web page! I am proud to be your voice on City Council and I am committed to serving my community as Mayor Pro Tem. Read more about the City.

I believe strongly that members of the community should know what is going on, and why, in their government -- especially in local government. For that reason, I would like to use my web page as a way to respond to your questions and concerns.

Ask me!
If you have a question for me about the issues facing City Council, email it to me. I want to honor open and direct communication, and since time will restrict the number of questions I can answer, I will answer questions of broadest interest first. I appreciate your cooperation and understanding if I am not able to answer every question.

Question:  I received through this web page two very similar concerns from members of the community about my recent comments on Fox 8 News. Due to their length and similar points, I'll simply summarize them here. Both gentlemen were concerned by what they perceived as my being far too quick to condemn the actions of our Police Department in recent uses of force. 

Response:  I issued a statement last weekend to the City staff, particularly to the police officers, clarifying my position. I appreciate being given the opportunity to more clearly state my position for constituents through your questions.

One of the values of a direct avenue of response, such as this web page, is the ability to speak without being edited. No matter how well intentioned the reporter may be, when an interview is cut to a sound byte, misleading impressions can result.

In this case, I was asked by a Fox 8 reporter to comment on a use of force (taser / mace) that occurred within a very short time after a shooting also involving our Police Department. I did not say that they were unjustified. I stated that it is alarming to have two such incidents so close together, and I believe that it is alarming because it is unusual for our City.

The reporter asked me if Council had talked about it. I told her that I had not spoken in depth to anyone on Council, but that I was sure we would talk about it at some point. She then asked what Council would do. In answer to that, I reminded her that City Council does not supervise anyone but the City Manager and individual Police Officer’s actions are reviewed by their own chain of command. Before talking to the reporter, I met with Assistant Chief Gary Hastings to get information (since Chief Bellamy was not available). This allowed me to explain the use of administrative leave in these situations.

It was certainly not my intention to prematurely judge the department during this stressful time, and I regret that my remarks came across as disparaging. The majority of employees in our Police Department are excellent and dedicated, and Council is making every possible effort to provide them with the resources they need to be the best, including a review by a consultant which should be completed soon. 

I do appreciate your candid comments and your questions, as they provide me with an opportunity to clarify my intent.