A no confidence vote was called against Jackson's city attorney Drew Martin. How it went

After a tense 25 minute discussion, with accusations of racism and "othering," a vote of no confidence against Jackson City Attorney Drew Martin failed during the Jackson City Council's Tuesday meeting.

It was Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes who placed the item on the council's agenda on Monday, following complaints he has made over the last several days and recent council meetings about Martin and his office's work.

Martin has only been in the position of city attorney for five months, being confirmed by the council on Feb. 13. Stokes voted in opposition of Martin's confirmation, while Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley abstained from the vote.

Starting off, Stokes denied that he called for the vote based on Martin's response to an ordinance Stokes introduced that would require security personnel at businesses where three violent crimes have occurred within a period of 90 days.

Martin told Stokes during the July 2 council meeting that he thought the ordinance was unenforceable and wouldn't hold up in court if faced with constitutionality challenges.

Even with Martin's concerns, Stokes' security ordinance was approved and adopted by the council. A second ordinance, with similar constitutionality issues, was also approved and adopted by the council. The second ordinance requires gas stations and convenience stores to connect their surveillance cameras to the Jackson Police Department's Real Time Command Center, giving JPD live access to the store's surveillance cameras.

It's unclear if either of those ordinances are being enforced.

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Instead, Stokes said he called for the no confidence vote because he believes Martin has failed in his duties, and he accused Martin and his office of ignoring problems in his ward, saying if it was another part of the city they would act more quickly.

"This legal department, through it's director, should have thought outside the box and come with a solution to make these citizens feel that they are important in this city, that they're somebody in this city and not that they can just get shot down and killed in this location and nobody give a doggone," Stokes said. "I'm saying that's why I have a vote of no confidence for this attorney. We had prior attorneys who did something, it's on record. He can research it."

Adding to that, Hartley said both his ward and Stokes' ward need to be more of a priority for the city attorney's office.

"We (Stokes and Hartley) have a lot of the same neighborhoods, a lot of the same type problems and I feel as though a lot of times it's not getting the attention that it needs, so some folks have to speak up," Hartley said. "This needs to be an awakening that just because you don't live in this neighborhood, you work for the City of Jackson and this is your priority. I don't know what other way to say it. This can't be way, way down on the list, people are dying, man."

Part of Stokes' complaint is that Martin and his office have not been utilizing the state's nuisance laws to try to put pressure on gas stations and convenience stores where crime activity is rampant. Stokes claims the city has used the law previously to shut down businesses known to be havens for crime.

But after Hartley spoke, Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks came to Martin's defense, saying he was "lost for words" and didn't understand why the city attorney was being blamed for ordinances not being enforced since that does not fall under his scope of work. He called the no confidence vote a "personal attack."

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"The enforcement of those ordinances is not on the city attorney's office, so I'm trying to understand … Once we pass an ordinance and it's voted on, it takes 30 days, it has to be signed, then the council has to approve the minutes. Did we give them opportunity to try to enforce what we just passed two weeks ago?" Banks said. "There is processes in government, we haven't even given them the opportunity to see if they can do it.

"The only way we can judge him on his job is if someone challenged the law and it went to court. That has not happened."

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said he told Martin to find a way to ensure both the security ordinance and the camera ordinance withstand in court, something he said the city attorney is working on. He also said his administration and Martin were working on using the nuisance law as Stokes suggested.

Lumumba said it was "unfair" for Stokes and Hartley to criticize Martin, going as far as saying their comments claiming he doesn't care about their wards, which are majority Black, compared to others, is akin to calling him racist.

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"It's incredibly unfair when someone (Martin) who is trying to find ways in order to advise us to make certain that we don't get sued, when someone who is defending the city on several matters of litigation protecting us each and everyday, someone who may just be overworked, is now being accused of — let's call it what it is — being racist because he doesn't live in a community," Lumumba said. "When you're talking about someone who doesn't live in the neighborhood that's what you're implying.

"These are things we've been dealing with for years at this point and he hasn't even been the city attorney for a year. For a year! And all of a sudden we're charging him as if he doesn't have a heart to serve."

In response to the mayor's comments, Stokes again said the issue is not about Martin's work on the camera and security ordinances, but it's about "can't do mentality versus can do." And again, the ward 3 councilman criticized Martin for not exploring nuisance laws to shut down businesses where multiple crimes have occurred, while also claiming Martin wasn't being "respectful to Black people in this city whether they are poor or rich, fat or skinny."

"This man's a certified, qualified lawyer, he knows nuisance," Stokes said. "I bet you if it was his loved one that was out there dead, he'd do something! If it was the mayor's loved one out there dead, he'd do something. So why does he treat these people he considers nobodies in such a disrespectful way. We not talking about no security guards, don't poison the issue, Mr. Mayor, we know that's a smoke screen you put out there to the media! We talking about nuisance, that's the issue! Nuisance!"

Hartley also said he never accused Martin of being racist. He clarified his earlier comments, saying, "This has to do with where the person lives and the priorities around them and if you don't live where these priorities are then perhaps you don't really have a good way of understanding it as a priority."

"Don't give me we can't. Give me how can we. Be proactive. Look for those solutions," Hartley said. "Folks in West Jackson, we believe in what we see … show us something."

Through it all, Martin stood quietly at the council's podium as the council and the mayor went back-and-forth, only speaking up to say he has brought amendments to the security ordinance.

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"In addition to what was already in that ordinance, they (the amendments) also include the authority … to identify properties where any crime of violence occurs, for the JPD to be able to label that property, to be able to require them to have the same surveillance that the ordinance would otherwise require at gas stations and convenience stores and for that authority to continue for about a 12-month period until they can show that no violence is occurring at that property," Martin said. "So, I'll be handing that out to you today before we leave."

Banks apologized to Martin and told him he was a victim of "othering." He also challenged Stokes' claims about using the nuisance laws, saying the city's Department of Planning and Development are in-charge of declaring a business a nuisance, then legal advises if it's sufficient or not. Stokes disagreed, calling Banks' statement "not true and not accurate."

A vote was called. The no confidence vote failed 4-2. Stokes and Hartley voted in favor. Banks, Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell and Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay voted against.

After the vote, the audience, which is filled with city employees from all departments including the city attorney's office, rang out in applause. It was only when Council President Lindsay called to order that the applause stopped.

Martin was unavailable for comment by publishing time.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: A no confidence vote was called against Jackson's city attorney Drew Martin. How it went