A 10:30 A.M. meeting on a work day couldn’t stop the crowds of citizens that wanted their voices to be heard at City Hall. The Blue Ridge City Council called this special meeting after several of the council members were absent from this month’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Citizens fill City Hall at Special Called meeting.

Tension was high as council members faced a crowd of protesters in the audience.  On the agenda was an opportunity for the council to clear up misconceptions about the August 8th meeting. Council Member Angie Arp took this time to recite the Georgia state laws and Blue Ridge City laws regarding the legal proceedings of a City Council meeting.

Arp went on to say that “freedom of speech is everyone’s right, but no one has the right to hinder a council meeting,” adding that “grandstanding has no place in City Council meetings.”

She also read an email that was sent to all council members. She felt that the sender of this email had misinformation and was trying to use bullying and intimidation to manipulate legal proceedings.

Council Member Angie Arp reads email sent to Blue Ridge City Council.

Cindy Glueckert, the sender of the email, stood and addressed Arp stating that she would like for Arp to “read her last response.” This was met with cheers from attendees.

Arp’s email was filled with statements of who is actually represented by the Blue Ridge City Council, stating “we don’t represent you unless you live in the city.” She went further to say, “My time is very valuable, why should I waste it on anyone that I don’t even represent.”

Arp’s reading was met with disapproval and citizens were shocked to hear the conclusion of the email as she read, “It is people like yourself that cause us average small town people to wish you would go back where you came from.”

This is email could be indicative of a long standing tension felt by downtown business owners as to whether they, too, should be represented as downtown residents by Blue Ridge City Council members.