Personnel changes happening at Morehead City Council

A Morehead city councilman has resigned, citing insurmountable differences of opinion between himself and other members of the council.

Jim Tom Trent publicly announced his resignation from the council on social media last Saturday, and the formal resignation was accepted by Morehead Mayor Laura White-Brown and the remaining members of city council at the beginning of their regular meeting Monday evening.

Trent said he reached a point recently where he felt his goals did not align with the priorities of other council members, politics and personalities aside.

“I became frustrated. I tried to voice my opinions and tried to voice concerns that were brought to me by my constituents and by the citizens of Morehead who either voted for me or didn’t, they were still coming to me,” he said. “I brought those concerns from different angles to members of council and the administration and it seemed like, for the most part, they fell on deaf ears.”

In Trent’s social media post, he attached a copy of his resignation letter which contained allegations including a lack of transparency and an environment of seclusion within the council. Additionally, the letter accused city officials of a “campaign of misinformation.” At the end of the city council meeting, Mayor Laura White-Brown addressed Trent’s resignation and the points contained in his resignation letter.

“City council, myself and the city attorney have never been notified of misinformation,” she said. “If any council member has ever felt that that was an issue, it was never communicated to anyone internally or administratively.”

Mayor White-Brown said she believes an apology is owed to the employees who work to provide information and services to residents and visitors of Morehead, based on the contents of Trent’s resignation letter that were shared with the public.

“The statements and allegations that were made against the city council and myself for lack of transparency is very offensive,” she said. “I will say that, because you are either watching or in a room full of people that were elected under legal counsel and employees of this city who work day in and day out to follow the law.”

City council will bring forward a name to fill the seat within the next 30 days, and the person appointed will finish out the term, which ends in December of 2024. If an appointment is not solidified within those 30 days, the governor will decide who fills the vacancy.

Upon his resignation, Trent encouraged constituents to stay informed and ask questions. “Not only is it good for them to know, it’s good for others to know, and it’s, quite frankly, good for the city council members and the mayor and other people to participate in that,” he said. “That’s how we work things out, that’s called compromise.”

The city council’s full statement can be found on the City of Morehead’s Facebook page.