City Council votes 5-2 to censure Councilwoman Menecca Gibbs

The Guthrie City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday evening to formally censure Councilwoman Menecca Gibbs over an incorrect statement she made concerning whether a tort claim had been discussed during an executive session.

Resolution No. 2026-25 passed after about 20 minutes of discussion among council members and a lengthy statement from Gibbs about the circumstances surrounding her Aug. 12 communication with Guthrie resident Scotty Smith.

Related article: City Council to consider formal censure of councilwoman at Tuesday night’s council meeting

The resolution formally corrects the City’s record by stating that Smith’s Oct. 6, 2025, tort claim was not considered, discussed, or deliberated upon during an executive session of the Guthrie City Council.

Gibbs acknowledged during Tuesday’s meeting that her statement to Smith was incorrect and said she had relied on her memory when responding to him.

“Working from memory from a year ago, I made a statement that a tort issue had been discussed during executive session,” Gibbs told the council.

Gibbs said she was confident enough in her recollection at the time to instruct Smith to locate the appropriate agenda. However, she said that after reviewing agendas and other records later that evening, she was unable to find anything supporting her recollection.

“I made a very human mistake in my memory recollection,” Gibbs said.

She apologized to the council and said she should not have engaged in the conversation without first reviewing the records.

“I do apologize for my lapse in my memory and for making the statement at all,” Gibbs said. “I’ve learned from this mistake and assure everyone up here I’m here to serve the community at my best capacity.”

The discussion centered not only on whether Gibbs’ statement was incorrect — something Gibbs acknowledged — but also whether formal censure was the appropriate response.

Ward 3 Councilman Granty Aguirre argued that Gibbs appeared to be attempting to follow restrictions surrounding executive-session discussions because she did not disclose the substance of any executive session. Aguirre said she believed the tort claim had been discussed in executive session and indicated she could not discuss such matters.

Ward 2 Councilman Brian Bothroyd focused on the fact that Gibbs had specifically written that the tort claim conversation occurred during executive session when City records showed that it had not.

Council members also reviewed an Oct. 6, 2025, email from the City’s then-acting city attorney advising council members that Smith had submitted a tort claim against the City and that no comments or communication should be made to Smith regarding the matter.

During the discussion, council members were told that outside legal counsel had reviewed the situation before the censure resolution was prepared.

There was also disagreement over the council’s authority and whether censure was the appropriate mechanism.

Aguirre questioned whether the City Charter authorized the council to censure another elected council member, arguing that the charter provides a process for citizens to recall an elected official.

The city attorney responded that the council is a “self-policing entity” and said censure represented the extent of the action the council could take in this situation.

The resolution itself specifies that the censure does not remove Gibbs from office, restrict her voting rights, or prevent her from participating in council proceedings. It serves as a formal expression of the council’s institutional disapproval and correction of the official record.

Before the vote, Mayor Adam Ropp said he had requested that the word “censure” be replaced with “correction.” He ultimately supported the resolution because he wanted the record to clearly reflect that Smith’s tort claim had not been discussed in executive session.

He emphasized that his vote should not be interpreted as condemning Gibbs personally but as correcting the public record.

A motion was ultimately made and seconded to approve Resolution No. 2026-25.

Gibbs abstained from voting on the resolution concerning herself. Aguirre also abstained, questioning whether it was appropriate for him to participate in the vote.

The resolution was announced as passing 5-2. Under the voting procedure applied at the meeting, the abstentions were counted as no votes.

The approved resolution formally states that Gibbs’ assertion that Smith’s tort claim was discussed during executive session was inaccurate and that no council member or City employee should be represented as having participated in such a discussion.

The censure does not impose any additional penalty or restriction on Gibbs’ ability to continue serving as an elected member of the Guthrie City Council.