Judge Monte Morgan Gets A Root'n-Toot'n Reprieve
Before last week, hardly anybody had any idea who Monte Morgan is: a former singing cowboy ... a one-time trick roper in a Wild West Show ... a horse wrangler from Cave Creek?
Nope. None of the above.
After being the hottest topic of two City Council meetings last week, a lot more people now know that Monte Morgan has been Scottsdale's presiding city judge for the last 10 years. That means he's also a charter officer. But for a while, if the majority of the council had had their way, Morgan would be a "former judge" and a "previous charter officer."
Of course some council members had their reasons for wanting to jettison Judge Morgan. At a time when the city is anxiously trying to make ends meet and departments are cutting budgets, it was said the judicial system only trimmed its overhead by 2%. Then there are the millions of dollars in court fees that haven't been collected. But most of all, Morgan rubbed the council the wrong way. They thought he was "arrogant." And, ironically, if it's one thing that politicians can't stand, it's arrogance.
A lot of judges, including Morgan, can't help themselves. They're naturally arrogant. Who wouldn't be? They are given the authority to judge things -- all sorts of situations and all types of people. And, usually, if it's one thing a judge can't stand, it's politics.
So when it came time for the council to sit in judgment of Morgan's judicial performance, there was a fair amount of animosity in the air.
Oh, Henry!
Tuesday night (actually early Wednesday because the meeting ran so long), the council voted not to renew Judge Morgan's contract. Then, Thursday, something changed -- mainly Councilman Ron McCullagh's mind. McCullagh, who had voted to can Morton, asked the council to reconsider their vote. They reconvened Friday -- and Morton pleaded his case to the council behind closed doors in a 60-minute executive session. Which was a strange turnabout for a judge.
Monte Morgan received a reprieve when the council voted to keep him on the bench for two more years.
The session was short, but not so sweet for Councilmen Bob Littlefield and Tony Nelssen. Both, who are running for re-election, never changed their votes. Littlefield was befuddled and Nelssen was bewildered. Both were fit to be tied.
But nobody was left fuming more than Henry Becker, the city's well-known radical roustabout. Becker's beef with the city is his endless effort to have his pristine desert acreage in North Scottsdale rezoned from residential to commercial. Everything he has tried has failed - except for becoming an extraordinary pain in the posterior by erecting dozens of gaudy, pastel-painted figures on tall poles around his property. He has even resorted to posting political messages on roadside placards. Becker has managed to turn his property into a king-sized eyesore, and turn many people against him for his anti-aesthetic antics.
So it was no surprise at city hall when Becker sent a letter full of wild accusations about Judge Monte Morgan, who had ruled against Becker's lawsuit against the city to rezone his property. But he didn't stop there ... because that's not Henry Becker's style.
When the council met to reconsider their original vote on Judge Morgan, Becker seized the opportunity to make one of his rare public appearances to, once again, assassinate Morton's personal character and professional ethics. It was one of those occasions that often occur in public meetings that causes people to privately wonder: Is this the time that a citizen who is Mad as Hell and Not Going To Take It Anymore actually goes off? Will TV stations' trucks end up lining the Civic Center parking lot with their satellite dishes beaming out news reports and will helicopters be hovering over city hall transmitting pictures of the scene of a spontaneous event?
It never happened. Henry Becker left with his tail between his legs, off to plot his next opportunity to strike back against the City of Scottsdale. Probably in the upcoming election for council candidates.
A Second Chance
Looking back on the Special City Council Meeting three days ago, cooler heads prevailed. Fairness was a factor.
When the council originally voted to discontinue Judge Morgan's tenure, they never extended him the courtesy of a conversation about his contract. Although it was a personnel decision, Morgan, a city employee, was never even interviewed. He was pink-slipped without being spoken to ... only about.
All of that changed in the second go-around. Judge Morgan was allowed to give his side of the story before the council voted. And that apparently made a difference to enough council members to retain him.
There was an unusual economy of words during the proceedings. For once, it was all business. Bob Littlefield asked a rhetorical question about transparency and Tony Nelssen pressed Ron McCullagh about why he requested a revote. McCullagh remained mum.
It was Councilman Wayne Ecton who summed up the situation by simply saying: "I'm changing my vote, but I'm not changing my mind. I still think there's a lot of improvement that can be made (in the city's judicial system), and I'm willing to give Judge Morgan another chance to do so."
When it was all over, Monte Morgan was still the city's presiding judge -- and a majority of the City Council proved they're capable of judging a charter officer fairly.
Nope. None of the above.
After being the hottest topic of two City Council meetings last week, a lot more people now know that Monte Morgan has been Scottsdale's presiding city judge for the last 10 years. That means he's also a charter officer. But for a while, if the majority of the council had had their way, Morgan would be a "former judge" and a "previous charter officer."
Of course some council members had their reasons for wanting to jettison Judge Morgan. At a time when the city is anxiously trying to make ends meet and departments are cutting budgets, it was said the judicial system only trimmed its overhead by 2%. Then there are the millions of dollars in court fees that haven't been collected. But most of all, Morgan rubbed the council the wrong way. They thought he was "arrogant." And, ironically, if it's one thing that politicians can't stand, it's arrogance.
A lot of judges, including Morgan, can't help themselves. They're naturally arrogant. Who wouldn't be? They are given the authority to judge things -- all sorts of situations and all types of people. And, usually, if it's one thing a judge can't stand, it's politics.
So when it came time for the council to sit in judgment of Morgan's judicial performance, there was a fair amount of animosity in the air.
Oh, Henry!
Tuesday night (actually early Wednesday because the meeting ran so long), the council voted not to renew Judge Morgan's contract. Then, Thursday, something changed -- mainly Councilman Ron McCullagh's mind. McCullagh, who had voted to can Morton, asked the council to reconsider their vote. They reconvened Friday -- and Morton pleaded his case to the council behind closed doors in a 60-minute executive session. Which was a strange turnabout for a judge.
Monte Morgan received a reprieve when the council voted to keep him on the bench for two more years.
The session was short, but not so sweet for Councilmen Bob Littlefield and Tony Nelssen. Both, who are running for re-election, never changed their votes. Littlefield was befuddled and Nelssen was bewildered. Both were fit to be tied.
But nobody was left fuming more than Henry Becker, the city's well-known radical roustabout. Becker's beef with the city is his endless effort to have his pristine desert acreage in North Scottsdale rezoned from residential to commercial. Everything he has tried has failed - except for becoming an extraordinary pain in the posterior by erecting dozens of gaudy, pastel-painted figures on tall poles around his property. He has even resorted to posting political messages on roadside placards. Becker has managed to turn his property into a king-sized eyesore, and turn many people against him for his anti-aesthetic antics.
So it was no surprise at city hall when Becker sent a letter full of wild accusations about Judge Monte Morgan, who had ruled against Becker's lawsuit against the city to rezone his property. But he didn't stop there ... because that's not Henry Becker's style.
When the council met to reconsider their original vote on Judge Morgan, Becker seized the opportunity to make one of his rare public appearances to, once again, assassinate Morton's personal character and professional ethics. It was one of those occasions that often occur in public meetings that causes people to privately wonder: Is this the time that a citizen who is Mad as Hell and Not Going To Take It Anymore actually goes off? Will TV stations' trucks end up lining the Civic Center parking lot with their satellite dishes beaming out news reports and will helicopters be hovering over city hall transmitting pictures of the scene of a spontaneous event?
It never happened. Henry Becker left with his tail between his legs, off to plot his next opportunity to strike back against the City of Scottsdale. Probably in the upcoming election for council candidates.
A Second Chance
Looking back on the Special City Council Meeting three days ago, cooler heads prevailed. Fairness was a factor.
When the council originally voted to discontinue Judge Morgan's tenure, they never extended him the courtesy of a conversation about his contract. Although it was a personnel decision, Morgan, a city employee, was never even interviewed. He was pink-slipped without being spoken to ... only about.
All of that changed in the second go-around. Judge Morgan was allowed to give his side of the story before the council voted. And that apparently made a difference to enough council members to retain him.
There was an unusual economy of words during the proceedings. For once, it was all business. Bob Littlefield asked a rhetorical question about transparency and Tony Nelssen pressed Ron McCullagh about why he requested a revote. McCullagh remained mum.
It was Councilman Wayne Ecton who summed up the situation by simply saying: "I'm changing my vote, but I'm not changing my mind. I still think there's a lot of improvement that can be made (in the city's judicial system), and I'm willing to give Judge Morgan another chance to do so."
When it was all over, Monte Morgan was still the city's presiding judge -- and a majority of the City Council proved they're capable of judging a charter officer fairly.