So we have a retired lawyer from Kansas City here serving on the village board. She comes into the office when the clerk isn't there and "helps" the clerk with paperwork. She wants everything her way and cannot allow anyone on the board that doesnt agree with her. She and her yes man blocked me from sitting on the board for that reason. Wouldn't this be a conflict of interest and probably frowned upon? I think yes.

Are you saying they blocked you by saying that no you can't be on the board, or did they promote someone they wanted and helped them to get elected. If they helped to promote someone that is the way that people do it. They do everything they can to get like minded people on their agenda.

They blocked me by voting. 2-2 so I was blocked. The position was open for 3 months with no interest. When I threw my name in the hat an individual went out into the public and begged her friend to fill the vacancy. Special meeting coming up to swear them in. Of course she fits the agenda.

Contact the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office and ask what they think about any potential conflict of interest.

I shall do that. And the Nebraska Board of Municipalities.

If it is actually a board,,, there are rules that are law..

Disclosure is one

Was this a vacancy where they could appoint someone to fill the spot or were you trying to get elected?

are they not elected ?

They are elected but a member resigned so they are appointed by the board and voted in by the 4 members currently there. Then will be re-elected next election cycle.

If you can't get in I urge you and some friends to run next election to try and get her out.we have the same problem here with people from Chicago it's pathetic.

Definitely will. I'm currently trying to get the minutes of the last meeting and get it published in the county newspaper, which should be happening anyway. It's public information.

Yes it's hard to believe the corruption even at local levels..

Every municipality may be different. Does your town have a town manager? If they do, as a rule, the elect board or council is not typically allowed to give direction to employees much less "help them with work." Typically when there is a town manager, the rules are that the manager works for you as a council member or select board person, you would be directing concerns about various departments (police, roads and highway, fire department etc.) to the town manager.

In the particular form of local government that I am involved in, if a member stepped down, it wouldn't be left up to our board to simply pick someone. If we needed a member to operate there would have to be a special public election.

If your town as someone on the board that is acting like a tyrant, there must be a recall system in place or should be. There typically a way to remove someone in position if the majority thinks they are not doing a good job.

I avoided too much involvement in local government until I felt it was necessary to step up and attempt to do my best to watch out for our town. Houndone stated
"Yes it's hard to believe the corruption even at local levels.."

Anytime you have human beings involved, you have the chance of having someone with personal agendas or cotton behavior involved. You need to look into what can be done to change that. Being a select board member or council member (large towns or cities) is a often a thankless job.
You deal with butt holes that want change in laws or ordinances, simply so they can make a buck, not because they think it will improve things for the general population. You deal with the negative nellies that will find something to complain about constantly. You will often deal with people that could not get elected in a lifetime (people have figured them out) but they act as if what ever thought concerning policy change they come up with is the greatest thing ever.

I wish you luck. Taking on such responsibilities is not for the weak of heart. You can count on plenty of critics that are lazy and dumb. Sorry, but that is true.

Mac

political fights often aren't really about what they appear to be about.
lawsuits often aren't really about what they appear to be about.
domestic spats often aren't really about what they appear to be about.

When people are upset about something, if they can't win the argument outright on the merits, they fuss about any place there's vulnerabilty. Them blocking you is just politics. Unless there's somethng specifics about it that's problematic, I doubt you can do much about it. You just need to figure out where there's a vulnerability to poke.

> She comes into the office when the clerk isn't there and "helps" the clerk with paperwork.

That might be a vulnerability worth pursuing. You could try to get a fraud investigation gong. Even if there's not any financial fraud going on, that would certainly be helpful if a person was committing faud. Google to identify suitable state investigators and report it. Be clear that you don't know there's any fraud going on, but there are people altering the clerk's paperwork and preventing new people from joining the board.

They dont call it the "good ol' boy system" for nothing.

We have 5 village board members, a village clerk and a village maintenance man. One board member conducts meetings as the chairman of the board but has no more authority than the rest.

Our commissioners are a joke here our equalization board is the same way a few folks making all of the decisions some members are on the boards for the health insurance some can’t stay awake for a meeting they sleep through most of it. The ones that have a brain don’t get to speak up much one or two run the show.

If you think about it the most unqualified folks can make up the majority of the local boards they don’t have any experience in the ins and out of running a government entity. The last meeting I went to the head Nazi wanted people to turn in their neighbors for any zoning violations that they could push to be considered commercial. I told them that ain’t gonna happen.

They did that to my neighbor because he had an issue with a board members son over a lawn mower. When it was all done and over it changed nothing but they did it anyway after 3.5 years of not being an issue they made it one because they could. It did not change his taxes and the guy was paying his sales tax they gained nothing but exerted their power.

Is the clerk positioin an elected position or is the clerck appointed or hired? If both are elected then to me that may not be kosher but not illegal. As to the blocking which is also not the way one would like it but in an elected and political situation, maybe more common then one would like to think. Washington and your state capital are not the only places "crappy" politics takes place.

Bryce

Clerk is hired by the board members.

sound like you need to get a few more people involved, friends' family businesspeople,