MUNCIE, Ind. — Following Muncie City Council’s filing deadline for their July meeting, an ordinance sponsored by District 6 Council-member Harold Mason was released that would prevent department heads from serving on various boards and commissions if passed. The ordinance comes after concerns over conflict of interest with the Human Rights Commission.

Ordinance 14-26 was made available online yesterday, June 23, and aims to allow boards and commissions to be independent of the executive administration. If introduced and adopted, appointees can be reviewed by “Common Council, the City Clerk, the City Attorney, the appointing authority, or any other appropriate City official.”

Community Development Director Gretchen Cheesman was appointed to the Human Rights Commission in late 2024 by Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour. At council’s April meeting, former HRC commissioner Wayne Scaife called Gretchen Cheesman’s appointment to the commission a conflict of interest and asked council to look into his concern.

The filing of the ordinance also comes after Human Rights Executive Director Shekela Bester was suspended with pay by the commission, which led to more people questioning Cheesman’s role with the HRC. Author Daisy Dale wrote a statement following the decision.

Additionally, the released agenda packet included a letter from District 2 councilor Nora Powell to Council President Jeff Green asking him to correspond with Mayor Ridenour for the status of contract negotiations with AFSCME local #3656, the city employees union. The letter points to contracts for the police and fire departments already being adopted early in 2026, and that council has not received updates on negotiations with AFSCME since December of 2025. 

Daisy Dale is the editor and publisher of The Muncie Post-Democrat, a commissioner for the Muncie Human Rights Commission, and a board member of Muncie Queer Alliance.