RESOLUTION OF CENSURE FOR COUNCIL MEMBER ANGELIA NIKOLE JAMES

R-2021-76

WHEREAS, Council Member Angelia Nikole James (“Council Member James”) was
elected to serve as a member of the Monroe City Council in November of 2019 to serve a four-
year term; and

WHEREAS, as a Council Member, Council Member James is expected to uphold the

trust of the Citizens of the City of Monroe, and obey the law; and

WHEREAS, on September 9 and 10 of 2021 and in the days and weeks that followed,
Council Member James was involved in incidents that are of concern to the members of the
Monroe City Council; and

WHEREAS, during an incident at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Monroe on September
9, 2021, Council Member James identified individuals that she believed were felons and that
those individuals had outstanding warrants, and Council Member James demanded that the
Monroe Police Department arrest those individuals and search the hotel for other felons; and

WHEREAS, during the incident at the Fairfield Inn, Council Member James kept saying
that her belief of the existence of felons at the hotel was due to God working through her and that
“God speaks through me [James];” and

WHEREAS, during the incident at the Fairfield Inn, Council Member James berated
several members of the Monroe Police Department, including Officer Ragan Broome, where
Council Member James repeatedly stated that she was on the Monroe City Council, and that
Officer Broome needed to understand that and respect her authority as a Council Member; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James disparaged Officer Broome’s body language, the
look on her face, the fact that she grew up in Weddington, and told Officer Broome that if she
wanted to work for the City of Monroe she needed to change her character and the expressions
on her face, all during an encounter that Officer Broome described as one where Council
Member James was “extremely derogatory” toward her; and

WHEREAS, during her interactions with Captain Rhett Bolen, Council Member James
became combative toward Captain Bolen and stated that he was a Captain “for now” and that she
was going to demote him, while attempting to grab his badge off of his uniform; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James kept saying, without a basis, that Captain Bolen
“didn’t like Black people;” and

WHEREAS, Council Member James also stated that she was promoting Officer Brantley
Birchmore to Captain as she had demoted Captain Bolen; and
 WHEREAS, City of Monroe Police were able to have Council Member James’ husband
arrive at the Fairfield Inn and take her home; and

WHEREAS, City of Monroe Police were called to Council Member James’ residence to
respond to a call about a domestic disturbance; and

WHEREAS, while City of Monroe Police were at Council Member James’ residence,
she proceeded to tell the officers that as of 9:27 p.m. that evening, she had fired Police Chief
Bryan Gilliard, and had named Sergeant Mark Isley the new Chief; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James complained of chest pains and nausea and was
taken to Atrium Hospital Union for care; and

WHEREAS, while at the hospital, Council Member James was telling patients that
Covid-19 was over, and she snatched a face mask off of the face of Officer Kendall Aycoth; and

WHEREAS, while at the hospital, Council Member James again explained which
members of the Police Department that were present at the hospital were already fired by her and
which ones would be fired by her tomorrow; and

WHEREAS, the members of the City Council are aware that any member does not have
the authority to fire, demote, promote or otherwise have an impact on the employment status of
any City Employee, except for those employees employed directly by Council; and

WHEREAS, no employee of the City of Monroe involved in the events of September 9

and 10, 2021 was terminated, demoted, promoted, or otherwise had an employment action taken
against or for them; and

WHEREAS, following the events of September 9 and 10, Council Member James was
informed that she had tested positive for Covid-19; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James refused the request of the Union County Health
Department to self-isolate to prevent the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19; and

WHEREAS, the Union County Public Health Director was required to issue an isolation
order on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, which required Council Member James to isolate at
her residence until Sunday, September 19, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James willfully disregarded the isolation order by holding
a press conference outside her residence on the street, by travelling to the Monroe Aquatics and
Fitness Center to try and get a massage, and then by travelling into Downtown Monroe,
specifically the United States Post Office located on South Charlotte Avenue, and other locations
in Downtown, including areas near the Dowd Center Theatre located on South Main Street, and
by continuing to campaign for elective office; and
 WHEREAS, Council Member James has, by her actions, shown a disregard for the City
Council’s Code of Ethics, Policy Number GA-13, by not “upholding the trust of citizens” or
obeying the law; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James’ actions did not show that she is “[b]ehaving
consistently and with respect toward everyone with whom [she] interact[s]” or that she is
“[t]reating … the public with respect in disregard for the Code of Ethics; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James, by her actions, failed to “Recogniz[e] that

individual Council Members are not generally allowed to act on behalf of the council but may
only do so if the council specifically authorizes it, and that the council must take official action
as a body” in disregard of the Code of Ethics; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James, by her actions, failed to show that she understands
the obligation to “act as the especially responsible citizens whom others can trust and respect.
They should set a good example for others in the community, keeping in mind that trust and
respect must continually be earned” in disregard of the Code of Ethics; and

WHEREAS, Council Member James, has repeatedly breached the City Council’s Code
of Ethics, both by her actions on September 9 and 10, 2021 and after.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of

Monroe hereby censures Council Member Angelia Nikole James for her conduct on, during, and
after September 9 and 10, 2021, and condemns her actions in the strongest possible terms as not
meeting the standards expected of members of the City Council and leaders of the City of
Monroe.

Adopted this 28th day of September, 2021.

Attest: Bobby G. Kilgore, Mayor

Bridgette H. Robinson, City Clerk