School board feels conflicted about using Urban League funding

HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) –  The school board had to vote on whether to approve a new turf field for Howard and a softball field for Brainerd with funding they say wasn’t theirs.

Marco Perez with district two said, “This money was taken from them [Urban League] that had been allotted to them and then implemented to this. I’m going to abstain. I don’t think legally I need to abstain but I need to. I want everything for everyone. I do think, as some of the commissioners mentioned, this was poor government.”

Perez abstained from the vote, but before the vote, it took a while to even get a second.

Ben Connor ultimately seconded the funding but he added that he was doing it for the students who will get to use it. Jill Black of district 11 agreed with that notion.

She said, “I’m happy our students are going to benefit from this money. I am very conflicted and upset about how this money came to us, but it was done by another body. I felt like it was my responsibility to speak up for my community and say, ‘I am very upset as to who paid the price to get this money to us.’”

Although Black voted yes, some of her colleagues voted no, like Tiffanie Robinson of district four.

She said, “I certainly don’t like the way this went down either, no doubt. More importantly I have a business relationship with the Urban League and truthfully, I’m also supportive of the Urban League. So, I will be voting no.”

Yet some wondered about the harm in saying no.

Gary Kuehn of District nine said, “The question is, by saying no, what benefit comes to our school system? That’s the question I ask myself. If we say no… Brainerd has been looking for a softball field for years.”

Ultimately the motion passed with seven voting yes, two no’s and one abstain.