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| Virginia Williams |
Councilwoman Virginia Williams, who as the second-highest vote total in the November election, was named as vice-chairman of the council, had vigorously requested the move. During the first meeting following the election, she demanded that as vice chairman she should sit next to Council President John Barden, a seat occupied by Councilwoman Tina Talley, the former vice chairman of the council. The vice chairman of the council is authorized to chair the meetings in the absence of the chairman and act in that capacity should the chairman be unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the office.
Williams' request to change her seat was met with some disinterest by other members of the council during the November meeting. During that meeting, William Wadsworth, the longest-serving member of the city council, explained that during his decades on the council he had served in many capacities, including terms as the vice chair, without ever changing the location of his seat. Williams, however, was vocal in interpreting the failure to move her chair next to Barden as a personal attack.
At the meeting Dec. 6, during his report, Barden said that he had made a decision “as chairman of the city council” to approve “different seating arrangements.” He then deferred to Talley who said that she was certainly willing to move her seat so that the council members “could get back to the business of the residents.”
“I don't really think the residents are interested in how we are seated,” she said. “I will switch seats with Ms. Williams to make sure we are sticking with the business of the residents.” She repeated that she was confident that Romulus residents were not interested in where the members of the council were seated, but that the business of the city was far more important than seating.
Barden asked if the meeting could continue and the seat switch take place at the next meeting.
Williams responded, “No. No sir,” and at her insistence, she and Talley made the change in seating.
