The Baldwin City Council meeting last night started off a bit heated during public comments. Sally McEntyre spoke to the council about purchasing cemetery plots for her family. However, that is not the only concern she addressed.
Cemetery
McEntyre isn’t a Baldwin resident but is a city water customer in Banks County. She has been trying to purchase cemetery plots for her family in the city’s cemetery for over a year and a half. The issue is whether she can purchase any plots in the older section of the cemetery.
She explained that Baldwin City Administrator Emily Woodmaster was unresponsive to people reaching out to her. McEntyre stated, “I’ve called Emily’s office two weeks straight, six phone calls, got your voicemail, never returned a call, not a one.”
She continued, “We’ve waited for a year and a half because Emily had told us a year and a half ago, my husband and myself, the city was going to buy the equipment so they could find, to detect, to see if bodies were buried in the older part of the cemetery.”
McEntyre also pointed out that acting Mayor Alice Venter told her approximately a month ago that the city had the equipment to check the plots to ensure they were vacant. Addressing Venter, McEntyre said, “You told me three weeks to a month ago that that equipment was purchased. She asked Venter, “Was it purchased?”
Venter responded, “It’s not.”
McEntyre stated, “ You never called me back to tell me the truth. You didn’t have the decency to tell me?”
Venter responded to McEntyre, “People make mistakes. Understand that council and mayor are not full time. So we don’t have time or the energy to run the city and make the decisions. I apologize. I got that wrong. I had not had the opportunity to call you back and you know why? I have three other jobs.”
Salary
She then pointed out that the City Administrator received a 60% salary increase. McEntyre stated, “But yet she [Woodmaster] gets a 60% pay increase to deal with these problems but yet can’t return phone calls?”
Venter explained to McEntyre the justification behind the 60% pay increase for Woodmaster by presenting the pay study that the engineering firm had conducted and submitted during the budget process.
Venter stated, “We [the council] have a meeting every week. Sweetheart, she [Woodmaster] has six meetings every day.”
Venter added, ”My real estate business and my clients come before my volunteer work here.”
Venter explained to McEntyre that department heads make decisions.
As Venter was beginning to explain an agenda item, McEntyre interrupted her. Venter asked her, “Are you going to let me finish?” McEntyre responded, “I don’t want to make you mad. I read the swear word you said at the last meeting when you got mad. I was appalled.”
Swear word and allegations of gaslighting
Venter asked McEntyre what swear word she was referring to. McEntyre wouldn’t repeat it. However, she approached the bench and showed Venter a transcript from the meeting that she was referencing. McEntyre stated,” I was appalled.”
Venter responded after viewing the transcript, “That’s fine. You are not a citizen and that’s just fine. If you’re appalled by that, that’s fine.”
McEntyre was referencing the meeting from Jun 23, 2023, where Venter admonishes residents of the city for not attending council meetings and took the tablet that was livestreaming the meeting and admonished citizens for not attending the meetings but complained about the city’s budget on social media.
McEntyre referenced the same meeting. “We’re the chickens that you were talking about that were afraid to come to a meeting.”
Venter responded, “And you’re not a citizen.” To which McEntyre responded, “No, I’m not.”
Venter then told McEntyre, ”I am allowing you to come to our podium to address your questions, so we’re [the council] going to address your questions. So you’re going to give me the respect to be quiet while I tell you.”
Venter explained to McEntyre that she thought she had the correct information, but she didn’t, and if they had the ground penetrating radar, it would not detect any bodies in the old part of the cemetery.
McEntyre stated that “We’ve been gaslighted for a year and a half.”
Venter responded, ”Gaslighting you? No one is gaslighting you, and if you’re going to continue saying that, you can sit down during my meeting.
Unresolved
McEntyre explained to the council that the ground penetrating radar can not only find burial grounds but can detect water lines as well.
“We are not going to use the ground penetrating radar to look for dead bodies and dig up,” Venter said. “We don’t know what was buried because it was given to us a long time ago.”
Venter then added, “I’m sorry you want a burial ground in the old part of the cemetery. It is unavailable.”
“I never said dig up old bodies,” McEntyre replied. “That’s not what I’m here about.”
Venter then said, “I’m not sure what I can help you with.” To which McEntyre replied, ”You can’t.”
“I will make sure the taxpayers know. Our water bill is paying her [Woodmaster’s] salary. That’s what you told me. That’s why we’re here,” said McEntyre. ”You guys gave her a 60% increase, and how do you think the other people feel that work in that office?”
The tense exchange ended at that point with no resolution.
After the meeting, McEntyre told Now Habersham, ”Alice Venter conducts herself very unprofessionally.”
The acting mayor said, ”I really would have liked for her to have given me the opportunity to explain why I didn’t know we had not yet purchased the equipment. We’ve approved it but not yet purchased it.”
