A Princeton city council member says she is asking tough questions because she wants local government to be more open. And she claims she is experiencing pushback.
On Monday night, council member Cristina Todd was mentioned on the agenda. She was accused of creating a hostile work environment for city employees and eroding public trust by publicly criticizing and questioning city department heads at meetings.
Todd was also accused of flooding the city’s open records department with requests for documents.
Princeton is the nation’s fastest-growing city, according to the United States Census Bureau. Many of Todd’s queries center on concerns about the city’s drainage plan and how it has been affected by fast development.
Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. stated that he got a complaint from council member Carolyn David-Graves and an unidentified city staffer. Escobar stated that he added the topic on the executive session schedule in order to provide Todd with the opportunity for a public hearing, which took place during Monday’s council meeting.
The majority of the city council decided that Todd’s behavior did not violate city charter provisions, citing the facts and the fact that the staff complaint was unsigned. Ultimately, the council did not proceed with a formal complaint or inquiry of Todd. However, other council members disagreed with Todd’s methods.
David-Graves, who read her letter to the mayor aloud at Monday’s meeting, said it was not intended to be a formal complaint, but rather an outline of her worries about Todd’s capacity to interact with city workers.
In her letter to the mayor, David-Graves stated that Todd questions department directors during council meetings, challenging their knowledge and honesty.
“When these exchanges occur publicly and without prior discussion, they risk confusing residents and developers, undermining staff expertise and recommendations, and exposing the city to legal and financial liability,” she said in an email.
However, David-Graves recommended that the mayor do a formal examination of the time Todd has met or requested to meet with city personnel, including interactions with the city attorney and related contractors, as well as the financial cost of those meetings and requests.
She also requested a special council meeting to evaluate whether Todd’s requests were unreasonable and a breach of the city’s rules of order for conduct, and to take any necessary action.
“If this situation continues, we risk developing a reputation for disorganization, ineptitude, poor governance, and frankly not being serious about development, all of which could hinder our progress and have immeasurably devastating and enduring consequences,” David-Graves said after the hearing.
Todd was accused in the staff complaint of creating a hostile work environment for city employees and undermining trust between the two due to fear of public scrutiny.
“Staff perceive that their work will be met with suspicion or public criticism, regardless of quality,” according to the letter.
Todd stated that she asks questions during council meetings to promote transparency; she wants the public to hear the responses to her queries. She also stated that her desire for change has met with resistance from personnel.
“I only bring things up at the dais because it doesn’t move anywhere when I try and talk privately with the staff or send emails,” Todd told me. “The only way to get something done is to bring up publicly, unfortunately.”
She urged the staffer who filed the anonymous complaint to contact her.
“I’m not a scary monster,” Todd added. “Yes, I can get excited about drainage. I can listen. I listen to others. You are welcome to come talk to me.
