MARSHVILLE — An outgoing councilwoman got some things off her chest.

Lame-duck Councilwoman Gail Kiker, who did not seek re-election, addressed Marshville residents for the last time before she will be replaced by Matthew Jefferson, and took some criticism from some in the audience.

“I have no regrets,” Kiker said firmly.

Kiker called a meeting Monday in an attempt to reverse a prior council decision to use a committee to interview candidates for the town administrator position. Kiker changed her mind after the initial vote and would now rather have the entire Town Council present during all the interviews.

“This is one of the most important decisions,” she said.

Because there was not a quorum at the meeting, the council could not make the decision official, but Councilwoman Denise Whitley said she would suggest it at the first December meeting.

With no official meeting, Kiker instead took the opportunity to directly address residents and press who were at the meeting. She then opened the floor to anyone who wanted to ask questions.

Kiker was first criticized for frequently changing her mind. The decision to use the full council instead of a committee, if the council decided to do that, would be the fourth time in a month that the council has reversed a decision only days after making one.

“I’m as frustrated as you are,” she told the crowd. “But do I regret changing my mind on votes? Absolutely not.”

Kiker and Whitley said they had not heard “all the facts” before making the decision to go with a committee. The “facts” they referred to in this situation included comments from “several citizens” who Kiker said told her that the entire Town Council should be involved in the hiring.

Kiker said she changed her mind on other issues also for “not knowing all the facts.” To educate herself and the board, Kiker suggested that the Town Council go back to having only one voting meeting per month and designate the other meeting as a work session. While a quorum would be present at the work sessions, meaning the council could take action, the meetings would be designated as non-action-taking meetings at which the Town Council would only hear and discuss information on upcoming agenda items.

Earlier this month, the council upheld Police Chief Mike Gaddy’s decision to fire officer Stuart Chaffin, then reversed its position and re-hired the officer. Kiker refused to get into the “facts” that she were presented with that made her change her mind.

The other change of heart surrounded the suspension of two police officers for a photo that became public. In the photo, Lt. Matt Tarlton and officer Darryl Gerald are shown each seated with a banana between their thighs and an unidentified woman spraying whipped cream on the bananas. The council first suspended the officers for 30 days, then reinstated them after 10 days but without back pay. The council later decided to give them back pay.

Kiker and Whitley said they thought the actions depicted in the picture were reprehensible but decided to reinstate the officers because the officers did not know the picture was being taken of them. Kiker said it would have been worse if the officers consented to having the picture taken because it would show that they were OK with their actions going public.

In the photo, neither officer is wearing anything that would connect them to the Police Department or the town. The picture was taken more than a year ago and put on an online social networking site. The picture has since been taken off the site, but has circulated around town.

“A police officer really does not have a private life,” Kiker said. She went on to say that Marshville was a God-fearing town and the actions the officers depicted were not acceptable by Christian standards.

“If I am getting on the religious thing, that’s fine,” Kiker said. “Fire me.”

Marshville resident Brian Weber attended the meeting and got into a five-minute back-and-forth with Kiker.

“I didn’t see the picture, but I don’t think it warranted a 30-day suspension,” said Weber, who ran for Town Council in this year’s election.

While the officers — two out of eight-man force — were suspended, Weber said somebody’s life could have been in danger because of the reduction in force.

He went on to criticize Kiker and the board for changing its mind so frequently.

“You need to make sound judgments before making rash decisions,” he told Kiker.

Kiker agreed and said that was the prime reason for needing a work session instead of two action-taking meetings. Whitley added that information was not always given to all council members.

“The head of the table will sometimes talk to one or two council members, but not others.” She said. “And that, I think, has caused some animosity.”

Finally, Kiker criticized the media for publishing only bad news.

“You guys could really help us,” she said, pointing directly to reporters for The Marshville Home News and The Enquirer-Journal. “Everything we read lately is bad. ... Let’s talk about some positive things.”