MOHAVE COUNTY – Already a longtime fixture at Bullhead City council meetings, the irascible and entertaining Scottie McClure has become a regular attendee of Mohave County Board of Supervisors meetings in Kingman in recent months. McClure made clear Monday, Jan. 4 that he does not like one of the changes new Chairman Buster Johnson has instituted for Board meetings.
McClure questioned Johnson’s move of the Call to the Public to the end of the Board’s regular meetings. McClure told supervisors Monday it was unfair that the Board had already voted on a county sanctuary resolution matter before he could speak his piece during the Call to the Public.
After the meeting, Johnson explained that the board sessions are held to conduct county business. While he said citizens have a right to speak during the Call to the Public, he prefers to have them do so at the end of meetings so that others in attendance can get their business handled first.
Johnson has missed most Board meetings and has participated by telephone during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He was present Monday and has said he will continue attending meetings now that he has assumed the leadership role from former Chairman Jean Bishop.
Johnson wore his mask throughout Monday’s meeting, not lowering it once when speaking as do most other county officials. Large panels of plexiglass have been placed on either side of Johnson as potential blocks to coronavirus spray and droplets.
Johnson said other supervisors did not request plexiglass partitions when they learned his would be installed. One supervisor jokingly referred to them as “the Buster barrier.”
Public access to board members will be restricted during Johnson’s year-long Chairmanship. Citizens would sometimes mingle before or after meetings, or during breaks, but a movie theater style stretch of ribbon restricts their access to board members and staff at the dais.
County Manager Sam Elters said the access restriction is a security measure and has nothing to do with the coronavirus. Johnson said the citizen barrier is long overdue in a world in which government and political officials face increasing threats, hostility and violence.
Dave Hawkins
