GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Gallatin city alderman has filed a lawsuit against Mayor Paige Brown, alleging she has prevented him from effectively representing his constituents by restricting his ability to make visual presentations and add items to meeting agendas.
City Alderman Pascal Jouvence filed the suit December 8, claiming Brown prevented him from showing a visual presentation during a council meeting back in September.
"A tipping point was a couple of months ago when Mayor Brown simply refused me to put on the screen a picture of a development we were talking about to show what the impact of that development would have on the neighborhood around that development," Jouvence said.
The lawsuit alleges Brown requires council votes before allowing visual presentations, ignores requests to add items to the meeting agendas, interrupts Jouvence and interferes with his ability to represent his constituents.
Brown, who has led meetings as mayor for 11 years, said she has been following the city charter and codes with guidance from the city attorney. She added that technology and staffing at meetings make it difficult to accommodate multiple visual presentations.
"We can't have seven council members running in at the last minute with visual displays and giving them to that person and them trying to be a director when they're simply trying to run two cameras in a computer," Brown said.
Jouvence is asking the court to referee the power struggle, as well as void an ordinance related to a townhome development. He also wants to confirm his right to place items on the agenda and prevent future interference in meetings, as well as cover his attorney fees.
"I'm trying to be responsible and make sure that Gallatin has a rich future. And sometimes some of the most successful things in history had a lot of opposition. And I've seen it just in my own little community. I've certainly seen it in watching Nashville," Jouvence said.
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