DRUG TESTS FOR ALDERMEN DIES FOR LACK OF A SECOND

FAYETTEVILLE -- City Council members on Tuesday rejected proposed drug
tests for themselves, saying it would be an invasion of privacy and an
example of government intrusion.

"When I brought this up, I thought, 'Well, this is a no-brainer,' "
Alderman Trent Trumbo told fellow council members.

He was wrong. Trumbo's motion to approve the resolution, which called
for aldermen to submit voluntarily to the tests, died for lack of a
second. Alderman Kit Williams said the resolution "curtails liberty"
and as a former U.S. Army officer, he is offended by it.

"I view this resolution as dangerous political grandstanding, an
invasion of the privacy of every alderman," he said. However, Williams
said he will take his own drug test to prove that he is not against
the proposal because he is on drugs. "I believe I must prove that even
someone with nothing to hide can still strenuously object to this
resolution," he said. Alderman Donna Pettus said at first she thought
the resolution was no big deal, but then felt insulted the more she
thought about it. She said she, too, has nothing to hide.

"I don't even know what a marijuana cigarette tastes like," Pettus
said. Alderman Cyrus Young said he walked into the meeting thinking he
would vote for the resolution but changed his mind. Drug testing does
not get to the heart of the issue, he said, which is drug abuse.
"Things like this really don't address the problem," Young said. The
city randomly tests 198 employees for drugs and will soon raise that
number to 443. Ben Mayes, the city's administrative services director,
said employees who are tested have "safety sensitive" jobs, such as
those with the police and fire departments. Those who drive commercial
vehicles for the city also are tested, as required by federal law.
Trumbo said he thought the council would set a good example for other
employees with the policy. He pointed out that students in the
Fayetteville Public Schools are randomly tested for drugs if they want
to participate in extracurricular activities.

But Williams said he doesn't support that idea, either. "Random drug
tests are very similar to the general searches by the British
authority that sparked our revolution," Williams said. It's fine to
drug test people when there is just cause, but not randomly, he said.

"Liberty and the Bill of Rights protect us all, not just those with
something to hide."

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady