JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Organizers of a July 31 town hall hope Johnson City commissioners will attend for open discussions about several current city government topics, but say they’re going ahead regardless.

Just a week after a quarterly downtown business update attended by Mayor John Hunter and several city staff, Abigail Honeycutt and David Adams told News Channel 11 why they believe numerous citizens find the city’s standard communication protocols insufficient. The pair have organized a town hall for 5:30 p.m. on July 31 at 324 E. Main St.

“I anticipate that there will be more community members than there are seats,” Honeycutt said Tuesday. Her post about the event says the city’s government “lacks any sanctioned space for open, resident-led dialogue with civic leaders,” and says the event will create “a structured, inclusive forum where community members can speak directly about their experiences, concerns, and visions for a better city.”

Honeycutt and Adams say they’re picking up on unsuccessful efforts by Tri-Cities Mutual Aid to convince city commissioners and leaders to host or attend a town hall in the wake of the city announcing a $28 million settlement in a civil lawsuit. The suit is one of several federal civil suits related to the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) and its handling of the case of alleged serial rapist Sean Williams.

But the pair say they believe that beyond the Williams/JCPD issue, the city’s leadership has adopted what they claim is a dismissive approach to people with concerns about other hot-button issues. Those include policy over data centers and Bitcoin mining, as well as a proposal to shift Johnson City’s “last call” time for downtown bars to 1 a.m. from the state-allowed 3 a.m.

“There’s been a thematic dismissal of community opinions and discussion and referendum,” Honeycutt said. “And, you know, it’s not been any one issue. It’s not been Bitcoin. It’s not been Sean Williams, it’s not been alcohol. The theme has been transparency and wishing to be heard.”

And even though the Washington County Democratic Party has waded into some of those issues, Adams said he believes the desire for additional communication channels is a non-partisan one.

“The Bitcoin issue was largely carried by local Republicans when it came to the Bitcoin mine,” Adams said.

“That’s not something that touches party lines at all. You had a very, very bipartisan group of citizens right up there in Buffalo Mountain who decided to stand up and speak out and figured out, ‘hey, the city’s not being totally open and honest with us versus their negotiations and communications with other groups and other individuals.'”

City representatives declined an interview about the town hall, but strongly disagreed with the allegations of not being transparent and communicative.

Throughout community groups’ efforts to get an additional, non-traditional forum set up, city leaders have said the city already has a robust set of communication channels for citizens. Several months ago, Mayor John Hunter said with several lawsuits still pending related to Williams and the JCPD, a forum to discuss that issue could simply prove frustrating to citizens if commissioners had to deflect some questions.

The city provided this statement Tuesday — leaving the strong impression that commissioners would not be in attendance July 31:

Residents are invited to engage with City officials during public comment periods at open meetings, and via email or phone call. Officials also meet with citizens in person, including as recently as last week with the organizers of this town hall. While they were made aware that Commissioners would be traveling during their originally publicized date, no plans were made to reschedule as the City is not participating in town halls at this time. Thus, the July 31 event was organized in the absence of Commission participation.

Organizers have plan for commissioner ‘stand ins’

Adams said in the absence of city commissioners or management, he and Honeycutt are seeking “representatives from local organizations in addition to both local parties” to provide “some sort of representation, where they can speak to efforts being made in our community and their visions for what the future could look like.”

The group postponed the event for a week because city leaders are headed to Nashville to meet with elected leaders. Honeycutt’s post about the event says if commissioners aren’t present, “a symbolic panel of community representatives will model the kind of transparency and responsiveness residents deserve.”

Honeycutt expects the event to last a couple of hours but said it will go as long as people desire to speak. She said the organizers will submit a transcript of remarks to the city if representatives aren’t present.

Adams said he is concerned that a sense of not being heard has “permeated every issue” at the city.

“It doesn’t matter if the person trying to talk to them is a Democrat or Republican, where they fall on any sort of spectrum as a citizen, as a resident, as a taxpayer, people do not feel represented.”

Adams has offered frequent social media commentary about the Williams/JCPD case but said he considers police “a necessary part of society” and believes “there are officers on the force who do a great job.” He said the issue for him isn’t the policies the city implements, including around policing.

“It’s not necessarily about where we end up on policy,” Adams said. “It’s about how we get there. There’s an important step of this process that has been removed, and when that step of the process is removed, you will not end up on the best answer.”

For her part, Honeycutt said the Williams issue was the foundation for what she says is a trust gap on the part of many citizens. She said she’d like to see those resident-led forums begin what she called a “redemption arc” coming out of a “villain origin story.”

“Right now, the perception is that we’re closing doors and we’re closing ranks.”

“My hope is that this is a … turning point for the community and healing and dialogue,” she added. “My hope is that it promotes civic engagement and understanding, taking responsibility for our backyards.”

Adams also sent an email Tuesday offering the city the opportunity to conduct the town hall itself. That drew a response from Mayor Hunter that called the overture “confusing”:

“The City of Johnson City has maintained that we are not participating in town halls. This position has not changed, and I’m unclear why you would plan one without our participation and subsequently ask us to sponsor and/or manage it … this is very confusing,” Hunter wrote late Tuesday afternoon. 

“We believe in and are committed to open and transparent engagement with our residents,” he continued. “That engagement continues through the public comment periods at open meetings, as well as through direct communication with City officials via email, phone, or in-person meetings. In fact, City leadership met with your group as recently as last week to hear concerns directly.

“We will continue to maintain the consistent and effective methods of communication that have long been in place to ensure that residents are heard and respected.”