Mayor Sessions’ first meeting as Mayor already showed us something important: not only is he failing to live up to the “commander” image he campaigned on, he has also already shown he is neither a Republican nor a conservative in practice.
Before we get into the bad news, it’s only fair to start with the one positive.
The One Thing He Did Well
Sessions actually ran the meeting itself competently—a real surprise, given the campaign footage of him being led around by his manager, struggling to speak clearly or do basic arithmetic.
He moved through the agenda prepared for him, treated all members of council the same, showed no obvious favoritism, and kept his own opinions largely out of the deliberations. It was professional, and on par with the last two mayors.
For that, we at Hillsdale Conservatives offer our genuine praise and hope he continues at least this standard of conduct over the coming year.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends.
The “Republican” Who Governs Like a Democrat
While the City Council is a nonpartisan body—no (R) or (D) on the ballot—Sessions himself ran as a Republican and repeatedly branded himself as a conservative. He made no secret of this and spent plenty of time at the “Republican” fair booth, as well as his favorite spot: the Farmers Market every Saturday, sitting beside his “Republican” campaign manager, who is deeply involved with the county “Republican” party.
We’ll set aside, for now, that this local “Republican” party has been censured, disavowed, and removed from its congressional district and state committee roles for manipulating county delegate elections, misconduct in office, and weaponizing the legal system. That’s its own story.
Instead, let’s focus on what Sessions just showed us about his principles and values, which look far more Democrat than conservative.
The Chain of Command: Not Representative Government
Sessions’ “Chain of Command” memo was rightly called out by Councilman Bentley, who refused to comply. Sessions’ demand that all emails and correspondence between council members and staff must include the Mayor and City Manager is the opposite of a representative, accountable form of government.
That policy establishes an administrative prior-approval regime that:
- Undermines council’s independent access to information
- Concentrates power in two offices (Mayor and Manager)
- Chills protected communications from staff and the public
By preventing elected representatives from having private, good-faith conversations with staff—without mayoral or managerial oversight—it becomes incompatible with representative government, obstructs lawful oversight, and discourages the candor that honest public administration and legal compliance require.
Sessions ran on “defeating negativity.” Yet his very first major act is a direct attack on representative governance and a textbook example of centralized, top-down control.
The Green Energy Scam: Sessions Breaks the Tie
If that wasn’t enough, Sessions then cast the deciding vote to ram through the latest “green energy” scheme.
Out of nowhere, Councilman Socha mustered his conservative instincts and pushed back hard against the solar project proposal, standing with the conservative bloc to stop what many residents see as a costly, feel-good energy scam. But it was too little, too late.
With Sessions now in the Mayor’s chair, his vote broke what would have been a 4–4 standoff between conservatives and liberals. Instead of siding with the conservatives he campaigned with, Sessions delivered the win to the liberal side.
We appreciate Socha’s efforts, but his pattern of hesitating when it matters most likely helped create the conditions for this defeat.
The F.A.I.R. Committee: From Anti-College Rhetoric to College-Controlled Policy
The longest and most revealing debate of the night came on an item Sessions himself brought forward: the F.A.I.R. Committee.
During the campaign, Sessions and his allies were openly hostile toward the college and the so-called “PhD boys,” using that rhetoric to inflame resentment and divide voters. The message was clear: he was running against the influence of the college and its elites.
Yet in a completely predictable turn once the election was over, the F.A.I.R. committee he proposed would be heavily populated by nonprofits, out-of-towners, and—most notably—people employed by that same college administration he spent months attacking, with a few town residents sprinkled in to keep up appearances.
In other words, his campaign used negativity to rally a certain group of people against “the college crowd,” and then, once in power, he immediately turned around and tried to hand those same college-connected interests a formal seat at the table. It looks less like conviction and more like a bait-and-switch.
To their credit, council members across the spectrum pushed back. The idea was so poorly received that it never even made it to a formal motion. It died on the floor, and rightly so.
What This First Meeting Really Told Us
On the surface, it may have looked like a boring, routine first meeting. In reality, it told us almost everything we need to know about the next year:
- Sessions can run a meeting, but his instincts are not conservative.
- His chain-of-command memo is a direct challenge to representative government.
- His tie-breaking vote advanced a liberal “green energy” agenda.
- His flagship F.A.I.R. committee contradicted his campaign rhetoric and tried to outsource town influence to college-aligned and outside interests—and was so bad it couldn’t even get to a vote.
Going forward, expect the Democrat–liberal agenda to move through on 5–4 votes, unless someone unexpectedly breaks ranks. Morrissey should know better but refuses. Flynn should know better and might, in the future. As for “angry Stutchell” and “more-taxes Wolfram,” don’t hold your breath.
This is what happens when people don’t show up and vote.
The one silver lining? Even some Democrats on council seem less than enthusiastic about being micromanaged by the new Mayor—though they seem to have no problem being directed by the City Manager.
The meeting ended with Sessions pretending not to understand what an open, public debate with his opponent would look like. If this first night is any indication, future meetings may at least be entertaining—but for those who care about accountable, conservative, representative government, they will also be deeply concerning.
in liberty,
the Hillsdale Conservatives
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