Red Bank officials on Friday again excluded the media from a suspension appeal for the latest police officer to sue the city.
In comparison, Chattanooga and Hamilton County allow the public to sit in on such hearings, but East Ridge does not.
Red Bank interim Police Chief Dan Knight recently suspended Cpl. Rebecca Chauncey for one unpaid week after she allowed a subordinate to carry a weapon he wasn't qualified to use. Her $1.5 million lawsuit alleges that other superiors violated the same policy without punishment.
The hearing on Friday served as an opportunity to deliver her side of the story and request back pay from Red Bank City Manager Chris Dorsey, who will make a decision within five days.
Reporters were not allowed to attend the hearing inside Red Bank City Court because Dorsey and City Attorney Arnold Stulce - both taxpayer-funded employees - do not constitute a "governing body," Dorsey said.
Chattanooga City Attorney Mike McMahan said police appeals are open to the public because City Council members decide those cases, and Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor said anyone can watch a hearing between sheriff's deputies and the county's Civil Service board.
Chauncey's attorney, Robin Flores, said such hearings should be open in Red Bank, too, because Dorsey essentially handles the same responsibilities as the Chattanooga City Council and the Hamilton County Commission.
"Red Bank's appeal process, in my view, replaces City Council with Chris Dorsey," Flores said.
But Dorsey disagreed, saying "it's a whole different ballgame here."
Dorsey handles all city employment appeals and said city commissioners "have nothing to do with personnel matters." But Stulce wrote in a news release that two commissioners talked with Dorsey about former police chief Larry Sneed's management style days before Dorsey fired him.
East Ridge City Attorney John Anderson and City Manager Eddie Phillips said their employment appeals also are closed because the city manager is not an elected official.
If Red Bank agrees on a settlement with Chauncey, the city's five commissioners must approve the amount in an open meeting, but Dorsey said residents cannot watch any deliberations before the decision.
He cited attorney-client privilege as the primary reason, yet he acknowledged that Red Bank taxpayers ultimately would pay any damages or settlement amount.
Contact Chris Carroll at ccarroll@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6610.