WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) — The Williams City Council has censured Councilmember John J. Troughton Jr. for the second time in as many months, highlighting ongoing divisions among city leaders and raising questions about how the council will address fiscal challenges.
The resolution, adopted 4-1 with Troughton voting no, is a symbolic rebuke that carries no direct consequences. A censure does not remove a councilmember from office or limit their duties, but it places on record that the council disapproves of a member’s behavior.
The measure accused Troughton of unprofessional conduct. In remarks before the vote, Troughton defended his actions, saying his comments and questions stem from concern about the city’s financial position and a desire for greater transparency. He said Williams could have saved money by filling staff positions internally and argued he had raised those points previously when serving as city treasurer.
“I took the initiative to find out how much we could save,” Troughton said. “I don’t regret it at all. We are at a turning point, and if we don’t change course, we will be in deeper trouble.”
He said he has often not received straightforward answers to questions about the budget and staffing, which prompted him to press harder for information. Troughton also criticized what he described as a lack of transparency in closed session meetings, claiming those meetings are sometimes used to shield information from the public.
“You can say I was unprofessional,” Troughton said. “But what’s unprofessional is using closed sessions as a hiding place for the truth.”
None of the other councilmembers spoke before or after the vote. Their silence left Troughton’s comments unanswered and underscored the divide between him and the rest of the council.
During public comment, resident Joanne Burnett criticized the resolution and defended Troughton’s role.
“I’m beginning to think this is going to happen at every meeting,” Burnett said. “It’s ridiculous. He’s done a lot for the city of Williams. I think your goal is to get him off the council, and you’re not going to change my mind.”
Her remarks reflected a sense among some residents that Troughton is being unfairly targeted, even as others see his style as disruptive to city business.
Last month, the council also approved a resolution censuring Troughton on a separate matter. That action, like this one, was symbolic and did not carry formal penalties. The back-to-back measures signal that tensions between Troughton and his colleagues are not easing.
In small cities, disagreements on councils are often resolved informally, without the use of formal censure. The decision by Williams to adopt two censures in consecutive months suggests a deeper breakdown in how city leaders are working together and how they view their responsibilities.
For residents unfamiliar with the term, censure is essentially a public reprimand. It is a way for a council to state that it disapproves of a member’s behavior. The action is added to the public record but does not limit a member’s ability to serve, vote, or bring items forward. In this case, Troughton keeps his full authority as a councilmember. The effect is political rather than practical: it signals that a majority of his colleagues want to distance themselves from his actions.
The broader question is what the repeated censures mean for city governance. Williams has faced financial strain, including reduced staffing levels and a four-day work week for most city employees. Troughton has argued the city is not addressing those problems quickly enough. By contrast, the rest of the council has chosen to place their objections to his conduct into the record rather than openly debate his points.
The council’s silence leaves residents without a clear explanation of why they viewed Troughton’s behavior as crossing a line. For some, the censures may signal an attempt to maintain order and decorum. For others, they may appear as a way to quiet dissent.
Either way, the decisions highlight a rift that shows no sign of closing. Troughton, while on the defensive, has indicated he will continue raising concerns about the city’s direction, even if it means more rebukes in the future.
“I may get censured again next month,” he said. “But I’m not going to stop trying to put this city back on the right track.”